Girls Frontline: Chess Pieces, A Welrod Story
by usedcarjockey
Summary: During the Last Great War, an espionage expert; now a disgraced private detective in the back streets of London. It was no wonder Welrod chose to accept G&K's offer to be their new specialist. However, what she thought would be a solo operation turned into a clash of characters as this British operative tries to mesh with a ragtag group of misfits. Will this be check-mate?
1. Chapter 1: Knight

**Chapter 1: Knight**

"Will that be all miss?"

The woman at the windowsill glanced at the man in the doorway. "Yes that will be fine, thank you Sir."

With a slight bow Welrod's landlord exited the apartment. Welrod sighed, and turned her gaze back to the window brushing a bit of her blonde hair away from her emerald colored eyes. The streets of London stretched as far as the eye could see, smoke billowing from chimneys of the various abodes that made up this residential zone. The weather was as usual, overcast with a hint of moisture in the air, typical of London this time of year.

 _Another dreary day in jolly old London_ Welrod thought. Welrod set to work finishing her hair, tying two short ponytails in quick succession. _Hopefully where I'm going there is less moisture; keeping my hair in good condition is abysmal._

The girl rose from her window seat and glanced at the soon to be vacant apartment. Most of her belongings had already been moved downstairs, except her prized possessions. These included: her two Welrod Mk. II pistols nestled tightly in their holsters and a chess set which had been given to her by the landlord as a welcoming gift. While the girl appreciated the gift, Welrod couldn't help but feel a little guilty, as her skills at chess were that of a novice at best. The few games Welrod attempted with her landlord always ended in an absolute trouncing.

 _You would have thought Sir would tire of winning, but he always was eager to join me in a battle of wits_ Welrod mused.

The girl picked up the board; as solid and heavy as ever. The chess board's rim was made of a glistening mahogany, carved with various African mammals ranging from Elephants to Lions. The tiles were of painted oak as were the pieces that accompanied them. It was a relic from a past age, when the British Empire stretched from the jungles of Africa, to the tip of India. Welrod picked up a Knight, her favorite piece, both for its gorgeous design and finesse on the battlefield. She loved the way it moved about the board; requiring more thought and effort than a mere pawn or even a rook.

 _What a time it would have been to live in an era of gentlemanly warfare_ Welrod thought.

The edges of her mouth curled into a slight grin, as she carefully placed her chess board into her duffle bag, and moved to pick up her holster.

The guns she shared her name with were specially made for her use alone by her previous employer, the British intelligence agency MI6. During the last Great War she was tasked as an espionage asset, deploying behind enemy lines and quietly assembling intelligence and sabotaging enemy equipment and logistics. It was almost an art; a job that required a great deal of concentration, effort, and finesse. Perhaps this is why she liked the Knight so much. Welrod strapped her holsters around her waist, and picked up her pistols.

 _As lightweight and efficient as ever_ Welrod thought as she gave both of them a twirl or two before holstering them tightly in their satchels at her hip.

Slinging the duffle bag over her shoulder, Welrod moved towards the open door, stopped at the entrance, and gave the room she called home for the past two and a half years a final glance.

 _Despite its size, it served its purpose adequately._

Welrod grabbed her navy blue coat off the rack and continued her short journey down the staircase and out the front door to the waiting "deuce and a half" truck waiting to take her to the airport. She had been given an opportunity to serve as assistant to a commander in the Private Military Corporation Grifon & Krueger, an opportunity she could hardly pass up. She gently deposited her precious cargo into the truck and began to hoist herself into the rear compartment.

"Miss Welrod, one moment please!"

Welrod paused and glanced over her shoulder to see her landlord clutching a wrapped package.

"Th-this is hardly necessary Sir, you have already done more than enough," Welrod stammered as she dismounted.

She took the package from the man's old gnarled hands and opened it. Inside was a cream colored sweater embroidered with blue and red zig-zags, with a hood laced and trimmed with wool as white as Bristol snow. Attached to the hood were tassels that took the appearance of rabbit ears.

"I knew you were going to a place that was quite cold, so I had my wife fix you something to keep yourself warm," the old man said.

 _How did he know, I never shared with him where I was going_ Welrod thought.

"How… how did you know where I was being deployed," replied Welrod.

"Oh I did a little spying of my own, I may be old but that doesn't mean I can't learn a thing or two from my tenants."

Welrod lowered her head trying and failing miserably to hide her blushing cheeks.

"You do realize if this were still wartime I would have to place you under arrest for observing top secret documents," Welrod quietly mumbled.

The landlord let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, yes, but it would have been worth it just to see the look on your face."

Welrod gave a meek smile and closed the package. "I'll let you off with a warning this time Sir."

With that she turned back to the truck and hoisted herself inside. The window to the cab slid open and a woman with goggles on her forehead peered through the slit at her.

"Are you ready Miss Welrod?"

Welrod took one last glance out the back of the truck, at the landlord who had given her so much for so little in return. He was standing on the porch waving at her. She returned the gesture with as much of a smile as she could muster. _He truly was worthy of being called a Sir._ "Yes I am ready."

The truck started up with a roar and slowly began to drift away from the street she had called home. She adjusted herself on the bench; not the most comfortable bed but serviceable. The last thing she heard before she drifted off into a dreamless slumber was

"Next stop, Grifon and Krueger Headquarters."


	2. Chapter 2: Rook

**Chapter 2: Rook**

"Yo rookie, get your rear into gear."

Welrod, still groggy from the several hour drive north, sat herself up. A chill ran up the girl's spine. The weather had certainly dropped a few degrees. She quickly threw on the sweater the kind landlord had gifted her; it had certainly come in handy.

"Hurry up we don't have all day; I have three more pickups to make this afternoon alone, now move it!"

The girl slowly rose, her joints still relatively stiff, and grabbed her belongings. Welrod dismounted and surveyed her surroundings. To the north, she could see rolling green hills, speckled with granite outcroppings. To the west, the girl noted a breathtaking mountain range behind a large lake, with what appeared to be an expansive beach. Mist rolled across the hills and snaked its way through the mountain peaks. It would have been a perfect summer getaway, if not for the combination of wind-chill and dampness that cut to the bone.

"So this is Sector 78," Welrod mumbled. She was already numb.

The girl turned east and walked through the front gates of Grifon and Krueger Headquarters. Welrod could feel eyes prying at her, and as she passed by girls performing their duties, she couldn't help but listen in on their whispers of gossip.

"Is that our new combat specialist?"

"Damn right it is, look at her combat fatigue! Although the sweater is a bit much."

"A little short for the job don't you think?"

"Ha, you're one to talk Super Shorty."

 _Second hall on the right, third door on the left._ Welrod repeated the directions given to her by the driver. _Was she referring to my right or her right, damn it all why couldn't she have just led me there herself._

The girl continued through the snaking hallways deeper into the compound, finally reaching a large metal door with a speaker on the wall next to it. The sign on the door read: Recruitment Center.

A chipper voice called out from the speaker: "How can I help you miss?"

Welrod pressed down on the transmit button and replied: "Good afternoon miss, I'm here for the combat specialist position."

"OH, yes hold on one moment."

After a brief moment the girl heard a loud buzzer and the light above the door turned from red to green. Welrod opened the door and found herself face to face with what she could only describe as a thirty year-old Girl Scout.

"Hi there miss, my name is Kalina, I'm here to introduce you to the company! You must be our new recruit Welrod!" The woman gave Welrod a grin stretching from ear to ear as she held out her hand.

 _Is this woman for real? And what is with her uniform? How improper; is this how everyone at G &K dresses?_

"Y-yes Miss Kalina my name is Welrod," the girl stammered as she accepted the hand-shake.

"Wonderful! I'm glad you made it, good to see you're no worse for wear. I hope your adjusting to the weather; Scotland is not as pleasant as London at this time of year!"

Despite Welrod's desire to let out a snide remark about her current comfort level, however she held herself in check. It was improper to complain about something as menial as the weather, especially as a guest.

"Well, we have so little to do, and so much time to spare, so let's get to it," Kalina said as she turned towards the door, clipboard in hand.

 _She…. didn't say what I thought she said right?_ Welrod shook the thought off and raced to catch up to her guide.

"Now down this corridor you have the dining hall. This is where all the girls meet before sorties. Of course by the end of this tour you will be assigned bunk mates."

 _Bunk mates? This wasn't in the job description._ Welrod swallowed nervously.

"Ah here's our first stop. The Commander's Office. Here you will be receiving your orders for the day, whether they be logistics or combat sorties. Hold on let me see if he is available." Kalina gave out another smile, however this one was not as jovial.

Welrod could hear a heated conversation within the commander's office as Kalina entered.

"WELL TELL YOUR DAMN ENGINEERS THAT WHEN I ORDER A HANDGUN I DON'T WANT A CAT SCREAMING ITS NAME ON ARRIVAL. GOOD DAY SIR!" Welrod could hear a phone being slammed on the receiver followed by a disgruntled sigh.

Silence followed for what seemed like an eternity when finally Kalina exited the room looking quite flustered.

"You know maybe another time," the woman said followed by an awkward laugh. Welrod guessed it wise not to get on the Sir's bad side.

"Well moving on! Down the corridor to your right is the armory and repair station. After sorties go there for repair and…" Kalina paused a moment and peered down the hallway on the left "Hmmm this will do!"

 _What will do?_ Welrod pondered. The girl followed Kalina down the hallway and to another steel door. This one was labeled Dormitory 3.

"Here is where you will be staying! One moment while I check and see if the girls are ready to receive you."

 _What?! Meeting my roommates already? Is there not more to see? Please please please let there be more. I'm not ready yet!_ Welrod's mind was racing; scenarios of how she should act and how she would be received played out in her head.

"Alriiiiiight, they're ready for you!" Kalina chirped as she opened the door and dragged Welrod inside.


	3. Chapter 3: Pawn

**Chapter 3: Pawn**

"Everyone this is your new combat specialist Welrod! She is visiting us all the way from London," Kalina chirped as she introduced Welrod to her bunk mates.

After her eyes adjusted to the light Welrod observed her new home. It was a mock-up of an American 1950's walk in diner, with legitimate cooking equipment and seating. She could smell the residuals of a meal that had just come of the stove. The girl was in awe over how painstakingly precise each piece of furniture was, down to the very positioning in the room.

 _The interior designer must be a genius._ Welrod thought.

After a quick glance around the room, her eyes moved to the four other girls observing her from one of the tables. One of them, a punkish girl with green hair got up from her seat and went to meet her.

"Yo! You must be our new roomy! How's it hanging?" Welrod's roommate let out a loud belch. "Better out than in am I right?"

"Y-yes assuredly the latter is more desirable. My name is Welrod. It is a pleasure to meet you." Welrod extended her hand, on the inside panicking that her roommate would do something weird.

"Look at you all fancy like! Well it's a pleasure to meet you your majesty. My name is Calico." She let out a hearty laugh, turned her head and motioned for the other girls to join her.

"This is Grizzly, she's totally into motorcycles."

A girl with brown hair and sunglasses approached her. "Hi there miss. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I here you were a spy during the war, like James Bond right? He had a car; did you have a car? Motorcycles are totally more badass in my opinion what do you think?"

"I-I used to ride a motorcycle to work every day, but I couldn't bring it with me." Welrod stammered.

"Awesome I can tell we are going to get along already!" Grizzly grabbed Welrod by the shoulders and gave her a bear hug.

A third girl approached her, she had brown hair that was tied behind her head.

"Hello there, my name is Lee Enfield, I heard you are from London, quite pleasant this time of year. I'm for Yorkshire." The girl extended her hand, which Welrod gladly accepted.

 _Well at least not all of them are odd, and it's good to have a British companion to talk to_ Welrod thought.

The fourth girl hadn't moved from her chair, although she did rotate herself to face Welrod. She had dark hair and resembled a hitman.

"Come on WA-Chan don't be like that," Calico had turned her attention to her roommate. The look on her face was less than friendly.

"Humph, hi there my name is WA2000 I hope we have a great time together at G&K. There I said it, and don't call me WA-Chan." The girl folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Welrod.

 _Someone needs a cup of tea_ Welrod surmised.

"Well it looks like you ladies have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll leave you to it." Kalina gave Welrod one final smile as she turned to leave the dormitory.

A loud voice echoed through her headset. And despite it being partially muted, Welrod could make out the commander's voice yelling for the day's logistic reports.

With a sight, Kalina exited the dorm, leaving the five girls in echelon three to their own devices. As soon as the door was shut, Calico grabbed Welrod's hand and dragged her to the other side of the dormitory.

"Come on Jelly Welly, you can take the bunk next to me!"

 _Jelly Welly?! Of all the improper…_

Welrod was about to let out a retort when she was interrupted by Calico throwing a pillow in her face.

"See nice and comfortable! I'm sure the palace you're from is more extravagant but I know you'll like it here!"

"B-but I don't live in a palace…" Welrod stammered.

"Oh hush don't worry about it." Calico grinned flicking her hand in a downwards motion.

 _What is with American dolls?_ Welrod wondered.

A loud bell sounded and four of the five girls jumped up and rushed the door.

A confused Welrod stood by asking: "What's going on?"

"Come on silly, it's time for dinner!" Calico was halfway out the door when she said this, so all Welrod could hear was "Come on silly."

 _Well I better go with them, who knows what those four could do if left to their own devices_ Welrod though as she followed the group out the door and toward the dining hall.


	4. Chapter 4: Queen

**Chapter 4: Queen**

Dinner was surprisingly uneventful compared to the hurricane of events that had preceded it. Welrod was pleased to see that the cafeteria had her favorite dish, cucumber sandwiches with a side of tea. As she looked around at her companions she noticed they all seemed pleased with themselves. Lee Enfield had gathered a plate of fish and chips. WA2000 was devouring a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Grizzly had an enticing plate of pepperoni pizza, and Calico was chowing down on a bowl of chowder.

The sound of a microphone being turned on drew the group's attention. A tall man wearing a beret and sporting a bushy mustache was at the helm on a wide stage.

"Good evening ladies. We hope you enjoyed your meal. Tonight we will be continuing our combat training. Assemble your team and report to the training facility within the hour."

With that the man briskly exited the dining hall, as the girls simultaneously began to get up and move towards the door.

"Who was that," Welrod inquired.

"That my dear, was the commander," Lee Enfield replied.

 _The commander? He was a lot more composed than when I saw him this afternoon_.

"I can't believe we have to train, I'm more than capable of handling myself," WA2000 complained.

"Don't be daft, even the most elite troops have to train from time to time." Lee Enfield's voice was calm but cold, leaving WA2000 stewing.

The company approached the training facility: a barren warehouse at least a kilometer in length. On entering they were greeted by Kalina, who had still not changed her outfit into something more appropriate for a G&K official.

"Alright everyone! Each of you have been assigned an individual test in order to assess your skills in combat." She began handing out ledgers to each of the girls. "You have one hour to complete your training. Good luck, the commander is watching."

 _The commander is watching?_ Welrod's heart skipped. _I need to prove myself not only for the commander, but for my teammates._

Welrod looked down at her instructions: her task was to evade incoming fire for thirty seconds without receiving any structural damage.

 _Simple enough, I should have plenty of cover to use_.

Welrod stepped into the training room. Upon the door closing a virtual simulation appeared all around the girl. At the other end of the room, a virtual girl with side mounted equipment stood at attention. A voice called out over the microphone:

"Training begins in 3… 2… 1… Begin."

The virtual girl's equipment erupted in a puff of smoke; several missiles barreled towards Welrod at high speed. They hit her before she had a chance to react. A loud beep sounded throughout the chamber. A voice called out from the microphone.

"You're dead. Start again."

Again, a plethora of missiles came streaking towards Welrod. She rolled left and dodged the first salvo, only to be hit by a second salvo.

"You're dead. Start again."

 _Fine then. Let's show these people what a British Service Agent can do_.

A third salvo was already on its way towards Welrod. She quickly turned to her left, dodging the first projectile, planted her left foot and shifted her weight to jump to her right, dodging the second incoming missile. A third missile was hurtling towards her face. She calmly bent backwards letting the projectile sail harmlessly over her head. Pleased with herself she turned towards the virtual girl. Her heart sank as she saw 4 salvos of rockets approaching her at high speed.

 _Right then, that's how it's going to be is it?_

Welrod put her head down and charged the firing line. She planted her feet and leaped over the missile salvo. Landing on her knees, she slid towards her virtual target and fired one shot each from her pistols. These shots hit the two rocket pods, exploding the virtual doll. Another buzzer sounded.

"Training complete. Well done."

Welrod twirled her pistols, showed them and exited the training room. As she turned to leave however, she noticed her squad down the complex attempting to finish their training. They were failing.

Welrod approached Calico first. She was in quite a state of disarray. Her hair was frazzled and her outfit was marred and tattered. Welrod observed that her task was to engage soft targets in order to keep them from overwhelming her team. The targets would only engage her if she initiated the attack. However, upon the start of the test, she would unleash her fire on all groups, quickly being overwhelmed.

"Miss Calico, I have an idea." Welrod yelled out.

"It's fine new girl, I got this." Calico said. She didn't have it.

"Miss Calico, trust me, this will work. Only engage one group at a time."

"Well where's the fun in that? I'm sorry new girl but you don't know what you're talking about. Now watch how a pro gets things done."

The test started again and the definition of insanity ran its course. A wounded and quite agitated Calico returned to the starter's position.

"Miss Calico…"

"Fine new girl, I'll give it a try."

The test began and Calico dispatched a first squadron, a second squadron, and finally the third squadron. The test was far less difficult when there wasn't an artificial difficulty being added. A buzzer rang out signaling test completion. Calico turned to Welrod.

"Well well well, thank you kindly your majesty," Calico said as she attempted to do her best curtsy. "How about you check in on the rest of the girls, they could probably use some help too."

They most certainly did need help. The next teammate was Lee Enfield. She was struggling to determine which target to eliminate first, so much so she could never take a shot.

"Miss Enfield, might I recommend shooting the ones in the back first? They seem to have the heavier armament of the enemies you are facing." Welrod had analyzed the battle strategies of the AI and noted they hid their snipers at the rear of their echelon behind a wall of shields.

"Pardon me Miss Welrod, but I don't know if I can down the shield bearers before they reach me." Her voice wavered with uncertainty.

"Trust me."

"Alright, I'll give it a shot, but only because of our shared heritage." Welrod could tell Lee was shaken. Her rifle was shivering as she returned to the firing line.

The test began again, and Lee focused on the snipers in the rear of the echelon. Her breath steadied as she expertly hit every target in the head. One by one the snipers fell, and soon enough Lee began focusing on the shield bearers, who had yet to even reach halfway across the field. Several shots later the loud buzzer echoed through the room signaling success. Lee Enfield turned to Welrod, a smile on her face.

"Well it seems us British ladies know how to finish a mission. Thank you milady."

Welrod returned the smile and moved down the line. Next up was Grizzly, who despite having only ten minutes remaining was surprisingly calm. She was lying on the ground, resting her eyes as the clock ticked down.

"Miss Grizzly, I would recommend you finish the test."

"Nah don't worry about it new girl, give me another ten minutes and that target will be toast."

Welrod glanced across the arena. The last target was standing there motionless, begging to be shot down. Was this why Grizzly couldn't pass her training, just because she couldn't pace herself?

"Miss Grizzly I really recommend you shoot the last target."

One of Grizzly's eyes snapped open. "What will I get out of it?"

"Well you will pass your training and…" Welrod noticed Grizzly had shut her eye again. "And… I'll challenge you to a motorcycle race."

Grizzly leaped up and hit the target before Welrod could finish her sentence.

"Well then, motorcycle race it is! Thanks dearie."

Grizzly wandered off, looking very pleased with herself. Welrod grinned and shook her head. She continued down the range to find her final squad member WA2000. Welrod was amazed; it was if she was shooting an assault rifle. However she did see a flaw.

"Miss WA2000, you need to slow your fire rate, you aren't hitting your targets."

WA2000, still focused on the targets in front of her, kept firing at the same rate as she had before, replying to Welrod's comment with a grunt. Welrod could tell as time passed however, that WA2000 was starting to lose her composure. Her fire rate only continued to increase as her frustration grew. Several clips in, WA2000 started emptying her magazines into a single target, her finger barely returning to the ready position before pulling the trigger again.

 _Has this girl lost her mind?_ Welrod pondered. She could barely hear herself think over the din; much less give her teammate advice. Gathering her voice as much as she could, she yelled at her teammate:

"WA2000 YOU NEED TO SLOW YOUR FIRE RATE NOW!" Welrod realized her voice had become more forceful than she had intended.

WA2000 stopped firing and whirled around, eyes glistening with fury. "I need to slow my fire rate do I?!" She approached Welrod and pulled her close.

"Listen and listen well, just because you're new doesn't mean you can waltz around telling others what to do! You think you know my weapon?! I was personally chosen to wield it! What do you know?! Your stupid baby guns are nothing compared to the craftsmanship of my rifle! Now you can go, take your damn advice, and SHOVE IT!" WA2000 pushed Welrod away and took aim.

"START THE TEST!" WA2000 bellowed.

 _Fine, if you want to be difficult and fail, then so be it._

Welrod turned and walked back the way she came. She met up with her other three teammates who were laughing and excitedly sharing their success in training. She could hear WA2000's gun firing a mile a minute.

 _Ping Ping Ping CRACK._

Welrod and the others turned to see where that horrible noise came from. WA2000, stunned for a moment, began fumbling with bits and pieces of her rifle, trying to fix a malfunction. Welrod could hear the girl muttering things in the distance.

"Stupid repair technicians, I should never had let them near my rifle. Only I know my rifle inside and out, so there's no way it's my fault. I can't keep spending money on spare parts, I need my chocolate ice cream." WA2000 was certainly in quite a state. She had torn what remained of her sniper rifle apart and was searching through her bag for whatever she could piece together.

Welrod looked at the clock; only a minute remained. She then shot a glance back at WA2000. The girl had finished repairing her rifle, and Welrod could see her staring back at them. WA2000 gritted her teeth and muttered something, turning back to the target range. Welrod heard the buzzer for the training beginning. She counted the timing between the girl's shots. Her fire rate had slowed, and soon enough she heard the victory buzzer. Welrod smiled; despite her attitude, WA2000 was smart enough to listen to advice, even if it was just to avoid the embarrassment of being the only one to not complete her task.

A siren sounded signaling the end of training. WA2000 approached the group with her rifle slung over her shoulder and bag in hand. The team, having exhausted their stories, began congratulating one another.

"Well done ladies, I knew you had it in you!" Calico was beaming.

"Don't forget Calico, if it weren't for Welrod none of us would have passed training today." Lee looked at Welrod and shot her a wink.

"Agreed, she kicked ass today, she can ride with me anytime." Grizzly gave Welrod the thumbs up.

"You're right Lee, hey Welrod thanks for your help. Today you've more than earned your spot on our team." Calico turned to WA2000. "What say you WA-Chan?"

WA2000 was leaning against the wall with her arms folded. She looked at Welrod, and quickly turned away. "Despite being new, you're not completely useless. She can join our echelon, whatever." WA2000, red with embarrassment, turned and wandered off. Welrod could practically see the steam rising from the girl's head.

Lee Enfield whispered into Welrod's ear, hardly inconspicuous considering the height difference: "That's about as much of a thank you as you'll get out of her. You must have made an impact, she hardly listens to anyone."

 _I wouldn't have called that listening per say, but if you say so._ Welrod thought.

Suddenly, a voice echoed over the intercom: "Welrod, report to the commander's office immediately."

Her four companions turned to her as her heart sank.


	5. Chapter 5: King

**Chapter 5: King**

Welrod retraced her steps through the twisting corridors of the compound towards the Commander's Office. It was late; the only sounds she could hear were her footsteps echoing and a water pipe dripping somewhere in the distance. The girl's thoughts were racing as she tried to determine why she was being called out.

 _It couldn't have been the way I performed my task right? I received a well done. Did they review my tape and discover a flaw they deemed inappropriate? What if I failed training? Does this mean I'm being removed from the company?_

Welrod had reached the door she visited this afternoon. Seeing no buzzer on the wall this time, the girl gave the door two brisk knocks. A voice called out from the other side.

"You may enter."

Welrod opened the door and slipped into the room. She stood at attention, all the while observing her surroundings. The office was lined with bookshelves, with a fireplace crackling off to the side. Two scarlet armchairs stood nearby with a little table between the two. She noticed something that looked familiar on the table, but before she could make it out a voice brought her attention back.

"Do you understand why you were called here?" The man had his back turned to Welrod, with his right leg casually resting on his left knee.

"N-no Sir," Welrod stammered. Her legs were beginning to shake. _Please Sir, just let me know so I can move on._

"Tonight at training, you assisted your comrades in their tasks. These exercises were meant to test one's own merits and abilities without outside aid. You were wrong to intervene."

 _I was wrong?_

"But Sir, I only acted this way because my teammates would have surely failed in their task. I was only trying to..." Welrod was flustered; she didn't know what to say.

"Trying to help? There is no hand-holding here. What are your teammates going to do in the field if they don't have you there to help? There will be times Miss Welrod where you cannot assist your team. It then comes down to their own skills to survive. How can they enhance their skills if you are guiding them at every turn; at every failure?" The commander's voice had not changed his tone, calm but stern.

There was a long silence that followed; the only noise being the popping fire that roared in its abode.

Welrod, who had her eyes on her feet this entire time, looked up to see the Commander had turned around. His bushy mustache had been shaved and he had taken off his beret. On his face were a pair of reading spectacles hiding two pale blue eyes.

"Tonight's actions proved to me you have the abilities of a leader, however you must temper your desire to lend aid. A good leader knows when to assist, and when to let their team work for themselves, regardless of failure."

Welrod, still shaking, slowly nodded her head. "I'm sorry Sir, I… I failed not only y-you, b-but my team." Despite her best efforts, tears were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. _Enough; you're in front of a superior officer, act like it!_ Welrod did her best to hide her shame, however she could tell the commander saw through her attempt.

"There was however, another reason I called you here tonight."

Welrod looked up at the Commander. His stern face had been replaced by the slightest hint of a smile. _What on earth is he playing at_?

"One of my jobs as commanding officer is to make sure no contraband enters this facility. As such I had Kalina go through your belongings. She relayed to me that you had a chess set. It is quite magnificent; the most beautiful I've ever seen. I wanted to ask if you would like to challenge me to a battle of wits."

Welrod froze, not knowing exactly how to reply.

 _That's what looked so familiar._

She wiped her eyes and gathered her composure. "Y-yes Sir. I-If it would please you Sir," her voice still a little shaken.

"Splendid, have a seat in the armchair on your right, you will control the black pieces. I wish you the best of luck!" The Commander rose from his desk. Welrod was shocked to see that his right foot was replaced by a prosthetic, something normally hidden by his combat boots. Despite this, the commander moved quickly across the room and sank into his armchair.

"Well come on then, we don't have all night now do we?" The Commander motioned for Welrod to sit down. She complied, and the battle began.

An hour passed, then a second. Pieces were moving around the board. Welrod was keeping pace with her commander, smiling triumphantly with every piece she took out of action, her confidence returning. The commander seemed to be enjoying himself as well, observing Welrod's moves and decision making. The girl noticed her opportunity to win only a few turns away.

"Checkmate."

"What?" Welrod looked down at the board. Her king was indeed surrounded. It was game over. _Damn, if only I had more time, I could have claimed victory._

"Don't fret, you did a fine job! Certainly gave me a run for my money." The Commander smiling, glanced at the clock. "Oh dear it is late. You had better get back to your dormitory. Your team needs you strong for tomorrow."

 _Wonder what he means by that._ Welrod rose from her seat and gathered her chess board. "Thank you Sir, I'll be on my way."

"Miss Welrod, if you'd like we can play again tomorrow evening; early enough to get two games in. Does that sound like a plan?"

Welrod turned to her commander and gave a pleasant smile. "It would be my pleasure Sir." With that she turned to leave the room, her face reddening as she made her exit.

Welrod continued down the hall and returned to her dormitory. Her bunk mates were already sound asleep; one of which was snoring quite loudly.

 _I do believe that is Miss WA2000_.

Welrod climbed into her bed and sank into the mattress. It had been quite the first day, but surely tomorrow wouldn't be so hectic. Welrod set her alarm for 6:30 am and rolled over. The last thing that ran through her mind before drifting off was: _The Commander looked better without the mustache._


	6. Chapter 6: Bishop

**Chapter 6: Bishop**

Welrod was awoken by the sound of Big Ben's mournful ringing. Sun was peeking through cracks in the diner's closed blinds.

 _Already time to get up? I just fell asleep._

With a yawn, the girl lifted her back off the bed and tried to get her eyes to adjust before leaving the comfort and warmth of her covers. She turned her head to the left to see Calico in the opposite bunk beginning to wake herself.

 _Her hair is even more disheveled than usual, how is that even possible_?

Welrod then turned to her right, seeing Lee Enfield already fully dressed and lacing her boots. The woman looked up and gave Welrod a smile. "Good morning love, glad to see you're not worse for wear." Welrod remembered she had not talked with her roommates about the conversation, and intense chess match, with the commander.

 _That's a conversation I won't be able to avoid at breakfast._

Now relatively awake, Welrod rose from her bed and began preparing for the day herself. A quick shower, teeth brushing, and hair drying later she was ready to start the day right. She walked over to her team, who were gathered at the entrance to the dormitory. As she was finishing attaching her belt to her hip, Grizzly approached her.

"Hey there champ, hope the Commander didn't give you too much of a whipping!" Grizzly chuckled as she put her arm around Welrod. "Rumor is you played a chess game with him, did ya win?"

"Erm... n-no I didn't. I was close though. He thought I performed well." Welrod rushed the reply out, trying to get off the subject.

Grizzly, who appeared satisfied, let go of Welrod and moved towards the door, motioning the others to follow. "Come on ladies, Springfield is making her famous muffins today! Don't want to miss that do we?"

The girls rushed out the door, tearing down the hall at breakneck speed. They almost knocked over poor Kalina, who pulled an all-nighter writing combat reports. Needless to say, the disheveled assistant had some choice words for the troublemakers, words that Welrod never expected would exit out of such a sweet girl's mouth.

The squad finally reached the dining hall, and rushed the servers table. A woman with an apron tied around her waist with her hair done up was bent over reaching into an oven. Turning around, the aforementioned Springfield swung a large tray of muffins in front of the group.

"Oh! Well hello there ladies. Didn't expect anyone to be here already. The muffins just finished so they are going to be hot. Enjoy but be careful!" Springfield though surprised, calmly listened to each girl's request. For WA2000 a chocolate chip muffin; for Lee Enfield a Lemon Poppy seed. Grizzly requested a blueberry muffin while Calico went with Strawberry. Now it was Welrod's turn.

"Good morning Miss Springfield, what would you suggest I get?" Welrod noticed Springfield eyes light up; it must not have been often girls asked her opinion on her dishes.

"Well Miss Welrod, for you I'd recommend a Cinnamon Sugar Muffin sprinkled with a bit of almond. One of my specialties."

Complying with Springfield's directions, Welrod grabbed the muffin and took a bite. Her eyes lit up as the taste of the mouthwatering delicacy hit her mouth.

 _This is absolutely splendid! Where did Miss Springfield learn to cook?_

The girl looked around at the others; each face resembling her own, a face in pure bliss. Taking their meal to the table, the one question on everyone's mind was finally thrown out there.

"Well Jelly Welly, how did the meeting with the commander go?" Calico was staring intently at Welrod.

Welrod, her face starting to redden, tried to rush through the subject and end it. "I-it was nothing really, t-the C-Commander just wanted to give me a-advice in how t-to lead is all." The girl's attempts at hiding her embarrassment were failing, and her team knew it.

"Grizzly was telling us you played against the commander in chess, is that so?" Lee Enfield, genuinely curious probed Welrod for information. "She was telling us you caused him quite some trouble, not many people can do that, the commander is a professional!"

 _A professional? If he is considered to be a professional here I shudder to think what the other's skill level is._

Welrod noticed that WA2000 was not saying anything. She was however staring directly at Welrod, her eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"What do you think WA-Chan? Does the commander have an ulterior motive?" Calico directed her question at WA2000 in an effort to get her to say something for the first time all morning. Her response proved it probably would have been wise to let her stew.

"Ulterior motive? No, the commander is just an idiot. All he has us do is train. It's obvious if he had a clue we would be put into action a lot more. And for that matter…" she turned back to Welrod "of all the people he wanted to speak to about performance, it was you? My performance jumped 50 points yesterday! It's obvious all he cares about is making sure the new people feel comfortable, typical attitude for the idiot he is."

Welrod could feel something swirling inside her, an anger she had never felt towards another before, not since…

Before she could make a retort, a voice echoed over the microphone.

"Echelon 3, report to Briefing Room 2A for assignment. Sorties begin within the hour."

 _This must have been what the commander was referring to last night._

Welrod was the first to get up. "Alright ladies, it looks like today we get to prove ourselves. Let's make G&K proud," Welrod yelled as she put her fist in the air. The other four girls looked at her with eyebrows raised.

 _Did I overdo it?_

"Welrod, do you know what Briefing Room 2A is for exactly?" Lee Enfield awkwardly asked.

Welrod lowered her fist. "N-no not exactly, isn't it a combat mission, more training?"

The other four looked at each other and back to Welrod, saying in unison:

"Logistics."


	7. Chapter 7: King Castle

**Chapter 7: King Castle**

"This could not get any more boooooooring," Calico's voice rang out, slightly muffled as her face was smothered in one of the camouflage cloaks the group was counting.

"Logistics are an important part of any war effort, for example, in the North African campaign…" Lee Enfield was about to begin another one of her war stories when WA2000 interrupted her.

"No, absolutely not! I cannot do this another hour, not even another minute, especially with Lee-Snorefield filling the air," she muttered as the girl slammed a box of cloaks in a fit of frustration.

Welrod, who had just finished checking off the last box of ammunition, rolled her eyes. _If I had a pound for every complaint that poured from that girl's mouth, I'd buy Buckingham Palace by this afternoon._

Welrod turned her head to see what Grizzly was up to. She was sitting on a box of rations, attempting to flip an ammunition cartridge in a way so that it landed on the box in front of her face up. In the background, Welrod could hear Lee Enfield and WA2000 arguing over whose turn it was to open the box and who was to take down notes.

Welrod shook her head. _Good lord, what am I going to do with these people?_

Suddenly a siren pierced the air, drawing all five girls' attention. A loud boom was heard in the distance as the room shook. A voice blared over the intercom.

"ATTENTION: ALL HANDS REPORT TO THE ARMORY FOR IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT. WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DR…." Another boom rang out, cutting out the voice.

The echelon looked at each other, the door, and in unison broke into a sprint. Welrod was the first to reach the armory. She grabbed her pistols from the rack, twirled them, and stowed them in their holsters. The other four arrived one after another, each arming themselves with the gear they were imprinted to use efficiently. A man in combat fatigue arrived at the entrance to the armory.

"Alright ladies, it's the real thing. We need you to report to Sector 45 and man the outer wall there. Now move, on the double!"

The echelon gathered their gear and set out for the southeastern corner of the compound. They passed through several corridors before reaching the dining hall, which had temporarily been changed to a field hospital. Welrod could make out Springfield still in her apron, though now covered in grease and blood. She was coordinating several other dolls who were attempting to get a wounded human soldier under control. Despite the chaos, the girl could see Springfield being as calm and motherly as ever. She grabbed the soldiers hand and grabbed his attention. Whatever she said next seemed to calm him down.

However there was no time to linger. The team continued through several more corridors, finally reaching the outside of the complex. On exiting the building, they were greeted by the sight of pockmarked dirt, the smell of burning oil, and the sound of raining shells. The team advanced to the outer wall after a lull in the artillery barrage. The five girls hurled themselves into cover, checking their equipment and looking for orders. A T-Doll carrying a machine gun approached them.

"Echelon 3? Good to have you. We have enemy armored units approaching our position from the south beyond the forest edge. We need you to suppress their advance long enough so we can call in a rocket strike on their position. You two!" She pointed to Lee-Enfield and WA2000. "We need you in the Guard Tower 5, fifty paces west." With a curt nod, the two rifles moved to their position.

"You three, we need you to…"

"INCOMING!" The artillery had started again.

Shells once again rained down throughout the compound. Dirt, concrete, and shrapnel were tossed into the air, creating a hurricane of destruction few could withstand. A shell landed nearby, knocking the group to the ground. Welrod hit the ground, and scraped a bit of tissue off of her right arm. While painful for a human, to a T-Doll this injury was child's play. The girl raised her head, darting her eyes back and forth, scanning the battlefield for her comrades. She saw Calico and Grizzly helping the machine gun T-Doll to her feet; she had lost her left arm.

Welrod then looked up at the ramparts. She froze as she saw her commander standing atop the fortification in plain view of the enemy, seemingly oblivious to the incoming fire around him. An officer on his staff approached the commander.

"Sir please get down, we cannot afford to lose you!"

The commander looked at his assistant. "There are times when a commander's life does not count."

The commander turned around to his troops yelling out words of encouragement.

"Those Sangvis Bastards think a little artillery will be all it takes to end us. Well I happen to know this base houses the finest soldiers this continent has ever seen. Now, how about we show these Chuck'E'Cheese dropouts what it means to be a warrior!"

The commander upholstered his revolvers and lifted them into the air.

"Now who's with me?!"

The yell was answered by a roar of approval from everyone in the compound, man and doll alike. Welrod was caught up in the speech, picking herself up off the ground, a wicked grin stretched across her face. She and the rest of the compound moved as one; a giant wave crashing towards the perimeter wall. The garrison manned the outer defenses just as the shelling began to dissipate.

An eerie silence followed as the smoke from burning buildings and bombed out vehicles mixed with the misty mountain air. Welrod peered over the wall, trying to set her sights on any targets. The mist began to part, and she saw what she was looking for. Targets. Too many targets.


	8. Chapter 8: Pawn Takes Queen

**Chapter 8: Pawn takes Queen**

"God help us all," one of the human soldiers muttered; a quote shared in the thoughts of everyone along the rampart. Sangvis Ferri had come for Sector 78.

Welrod looked out over the horizon; divisions of rippers were advancing on their position while scouts were homing in to cause disarray. The sun reflecting off of sniper scopes could be plainly seen along the tree line. The enemy was more than prepared.

"Give me my glasses." The Commander motioned to his aid, and the man complied giving the Commander his binoculars.

The commander brought the equipment to his eyes, and held them there for a short while. The men and dolls along the rampart looked to their leader for an order, for courage. After a short period of time the commander brought the binoculars down from his face and returned it to his aid.

"Alright ladies, here's the plan."

The Commander looked at Grizzly and Calico, who had just joined the fight after dropping of the machine gun doll at the field hospital. "You two will take Charlie Team outside the western gate. You will move south along the tree line and wait for further orders. Our snipers will try to slow these rippers down."

The Commander then turned to Welrod. "You will remain here."

 _What? But my team needs me!_

"But Sir, my team will need my…"

"This is not a request, this is an order Miss Welrod and you will follow it! You will remain here. Now the rest of you get to it!"

Welrod, despite being frustrated at her commander's lack of clarity, replied with a curt: "Yes Sir!"

Calico and Grizzly rushed down the stairs with a company of human soldiers in hot pursuit. The remaining men on the rampart added some hasty fortifications; sandbags and bits of shattered concrete, as several machine gun teams set up their equipment.

"We only need to hold the line until our CAS arrives. I want a constant stream of suppressive fire keeping their units at bay, that means I don't want you all firing and reloading in unison you hear?"

The commander turned to Welrod, handing her a tablet. "I kept you here because of your ability to command. This tablet will link you into communication with every unit on the field. I am counting on you to assist me in winning this battle. I hereby grant you authorization to command the field."

Welrod accepted the device and looked at the screen. Having been granted authorization, her communication network synced with the other T-Dolls on the field, allowing her to give direct orders to her fellow dolls and override field commands by human officers. She could see the entire battlefield from a birds eye view. Several markers were blinking on the device, labeled A, B, and C. The C marker was moving along the tree line towards the enemy units. It then stopped, just as a voice broke through the commander's radio.

"Sir this is Calico, Charlie team is in position awaiting further instructions."

"I copy Miss Calico, hold fast while we determine the best course of action."

The commander looked at the girl standing next to him, "Well Miss Welrod, what's the plan?"

Welrod immediately began playing scenarios in her head. As this was happening, the rippers had reached within range of the garrison atop the wall. Rippling machine gun and assault rifle fire opened up on the waves of androids moving against their position. Despite an innumerable number of units being cut down, they continued their advance towards the firing line.

"Sir, scouts are approaching our position from the southeast!"

Welrod looked at her tablet. A new red marker had appeared on her map; fast movers were approaching their position. She touched her finger to the screen and selected Bravo Team. However her hand slipped and she sent orders to the team to set their sights to the north.

"Order acknowledged, looking north." The voice of Lee-Enfield echoed over the radio. The Commander shot a glance at Welrod, who was frantically trying to fix her request. The commander grabbed his radio and relayed a new order to Bravo Team.

"Disregard I repeat disregard. Set your sights down range 300 meters southeast."

"Roger that, Sir." In a slightly hushed tone. "WA2000 turn around."

"Are you kidding me, what is that idiot doing?" WA2000's voice echoed through the radio.

Welrod saw the swarm of scouts being felled one after another; for the time being the rampart was secure.

Welrod, face reddening from embarrassment turned her attention back to the tablet. She found it odd that the only infantry advancing at this time were lightly armed units. It was as if….

Bullets began to whiz by in their direction as enemy units came into range. Their snipers had also joined the engagement, their shots ringing out over the din of machine gun fire along the wall. The first casualties began to mount as the gunner and loader of one of the machine gun teams were hit, seen tumbling backward into the compound below. One of the aids approached the commander.

"Sir, CAS is still ten minutes out."

The commander surveyed the field the bullet storm only increasing in its intensity.

"Sir, we need Charlie Team to move in now or we will be overrun!"

The commander turned to the girl beside him.

"What do you suggest Miss Welrod?" The Commander was searching for something.

Welrod again looked at the screen. It was strange attacking a well-fortified area with such a light attack force. What was also strange was that the Sangvis forced would approach a different part of the wall each time. They would attack, then retreat and try a different location.

 _They must be looking for a weakness in the line. Or perhaps they are keeping US occupied._

Welrod zoomed out a bit and moved her camera view to the western side of the compound. She saw several waves of heavy Sangvis infantry approaching the western defenses. She could see the men and dolls atop the wall, D and E team, valiantly attempting to stem the tide, but to no avail.

Welrod quickly returned her view to her position and called on Charlie Team.

"Charlie Team, move west along the tree line and support our western defense forces. Set up machine guns in Sector Zero Tango Alpha. Ripple fire only when the enemy comes within 200 yards."

Calico's voice was heard through the receiver. "Order received Miss Welrod. Alright boys let's kick some ass!"

Welrod watched as the C icon moved west along the tree line, stopping at the forest's edge.

The commander, who had requested his field glasses once more from his aid set his sights to the west. A smile curled across his face.

"Well done Miss Welrod, by God we will flank them!"

Suddenly a loud crack rang out. Welrod turned her head violently towards the sound. The commander was clutching his shoulder, wincing in pain, his aids attempting to get him off the rampart.

"Damn Sangvis scum!" The Commander was firing his revolver in his good arm wildly as he was pulled down into cover.

"I will not be moved, un-until this battle has been decided." The Commander, breathing heavily, was still trying to relay orders as his aids attempted to remove the charred remains of his uniform in order to dress the burn.

"They're coming over the wall!"

Sangvis forces had indeed started to breach the perimeter. Welrod took out her pistols and fired, knocking androids back over the wall with each bullet. The commander, propping himself against a metal crate, was also firing his weapons.

 _We can't hold out much longer._ Welrod thought as she saw human infantry being felled left and right. Even dolls were beginning to succumb to the Sangvis assault.

It was then, Welrod heard the sound of jet engines. Hawker Harriers had arrived on the scene, dropping their ordinance on the incoming waves of androids.

 _Hello Royal Air Force._

They had held, now they needed to force the enemy back. Welrod gathered her courage, and yelled out words of encouragement.

"Come on lads pour it on them! Let them have it!"

The Grifon troops caught a second wind, and intensified their firepower. Slowly, the enemy was driven off the wall and out of the Sector. A cheer rang out amongst the remaining defenders as one of the aids grabbed Welrod's hand and hoisted it into the air. The roar of approval that followed was awe inspiring.

As the adrenaline began to fade however, the garrison looked around at their fallen comrades; a new task was to be undertaken. Wounded were to be moved to the infirmary, while the deceased were set in rows awaiting identification. The commander was rushed to the aid station immediately after the battle came to a close.

Welrod walked amongst the carnage; men and T-Dolls were strewn about the compound, some alive, some deceased. She heard a human soldier calling for their mother. The girl lowered her head.

 _All this sacrifice, was it worth it_? _Did we win the battle, or only postpone the inevitable?_

"Welrod! There she is!" Her squad had rejoined her. Calico was missing a few fingers off of her right hand, while Grizzly was covered in soot. Lee Enfield and WA2000 were arguing over who had the higher kill count.

Calico gave the girl a hug. "I'm glad to see you're safe, we heard the southern wall was being overrun and feared the worst."

Grizzly put a hand on Welrod's shoulder. "That was some mighty fine direction there boss. Those Sangvis never knew what hit them!"

"Miss Welrod." A new voice rang out across the field. Springfield, carrying her rifle, approached the group. "The Commander would like to have a word with you."


	9. Chapter 9: Knight Takes Bishop

**Chapter 9: Knight Takes Bishop**

Dusk was beginning to settle as Welrod followed her guide through the compound. Despite the fires being extinguished, smoke from the embers still lingered in the mountain air. Welrod glanced up at Springfield. The woman was adjusting her hair as one of her loops had fallen into disarray. After several attempts at resetting the loop, the woman undid the other, letting her auburn hair fall onto her shoulders. Springfield, who had noticed she was being watched, looked down at Welrod.

"I heard you've been busy! The commander was telling me he was proud of your decision making today. It's an honor to receive recognition from him!" Springfield gave the girl the same motherly smile she had seen previously.

Welrod returned the gesture. "I appreciate it Miss, I am glad to have served both the commander and the company." While Welrod didn't mind Springfield, there was something about that smile which made her uneasy.

 _I swear that smile is hiding something more mischievous behind it._

The two continued their trek in relative silence. Most of the wounded had been moved into the compound, except for the commander who had insisted on being the last one treated of wounds.

 _Damn him, he's going to get himself killed pulling these antics._

Welrod was not afraid to admit she was a little frustrated with her commanding officer. While his theatrics were admirable in the moment, she couldn't help but agree with the aid that the commander should have been more careful.

"He's just through this tent here. One moment while I administer some morphine. You won't have long with him, he needs to rest."

Springfield disappeared into the tent, returning a moment later, motioning for Welrod to enter.

The girl opened the flap to the tent and walked inside. The commander's tent was rather plain; housing only a field operations table, and a metal bunk to sleep on. The commander was sitting on the bed, his back facing away from Welrod. She could see several scars on his bare skin; scars that were etched into an insignia of some sort.

The commander, who had heard the girl enter, turned to face his subordinate.

"Miss Welrod I am pleased to see you made it. I must say you performed admirably." The Commander attempted to lift his arm to shake the girl's hand, but ended up only injuring himself.

"Sir! There's no need to…" Welrod, concerned, rushed to her commander, easing his arm to his side.

"Bah! I'm fine. It's only a flesh wound, nothing more. I've certainly had far worse." The Commander nodded at his prosthetic leg propped up in the corner of the tent.

 _You may have had worse, but I feel as though you are downplaying this._

Welrod read the commander's face. He did a poor job of hiding the pain he was in. Despite that, the man gave his best attempt at a smile, which ended up looking like more of a grimace.

"Permission to speak freely Sir." The Commander gave her an inquisitive look, his right eyebrow raised. Even Welrod was shocked at what she was saying.

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I think it unwise for you to act so recklessly on the field of battle. Putting yourself at risk like that will get you killed." Welrod spoke quickly in an effort to get her thought out and to move on.

The commander looked at the floor, then back at Welrod. She could see the man's mind trying to determine the next best course of action. After a brief silence, the commander spoke up.

"Reckless, Miss Welrod? Absolutely. Necessary? Even more so. Being a commander requires you to make tough decisions. Some choices put the lives of your men at risk, some your own life. When you were on the wall, did you see the men surrounding you? Most of these "men" are just boys, fresh recruits from London just like yourself. They had never been in a firefight, much less a full scale assault that we experienced this day. I guarantee you each and every single man was terrified for their life."

"So that gives you an excuse to give up yours?" _What the bloody hell are you saying?_ Welrod didn't know where the words were coming from; she had never acted this way in front of a senior officer before.

Seemingly unperturbed, the Commander replies: "No, but it does give me a choice. Leave the men to their fears, or show them what true courage is. Courage is like a virus; it spreads to those around it."

"So you were without fear Sir?"

"Miss Welrod, I was as fearful as I had ever been in my entire life. But if I had shown my worry, the chain of command would have been lost, and those men would have given up all hope. I wanted you on that wall not because I distrusted your combat abilities, rather I wanted you to see how powerful of a tool hope can be. In our darkest hours, hope is the only thing we can cling to. Without the courage of a senior officer, there is no hope. And without hope, the battle is lost."

Welrod processed what her commanding officer had just said. She chose her next words carefully.

"Sir, I agree with you on courage being the driving force behind hope, and hope being a necessary component of warfare, but that still doesn't convince me that you should be willing to throw your life away needlessly."

The commander smiled at Welrod, as a father would to a child who didn't quite understand the discussion. "One day Miss Welrod, you'll understand, and when you do, I trust you'll do the same."

Springfield entered the tent with a shot of morphine in her hand. "Alright Miss Welrod, The Commander needs his rest, go on and find your comrades." The woman then addressed the commander. "As for you, you shouldn't be trying to speak at all, and for that matter don't you try to hide the pain, you're only going to make things worse for yourself!"

Springfield passed by the girl and eased the commander onto the bed. Welrod could see the commander begin to loosen up. Smiling to herself, the girl turned to leave the way she came. As she reached the tent flap, the commander called out to her one more time.

"And Miss Welrod, I must say you… looked… simply… stunning..." Welrod, bewildered, attempted to hide her embarrassment by turning away.

"Don't worry about it Miss Welrod, it was probably just the morphine talking." Springfield chirped, looking at the girl assuredly.

Welrod exited the tent and turned back towards the facility to relax. Dusk had become night. Retracing her steps from that afternoon, taking a few detours to avoid debris, she returned to her dormitory. Flopping onto her bed, she immediately began making herself comfortable.

 _What did he mean by I'll understand one day? And what was with the scars on his back?_

"Questions for another day," Welrod mumbled to herself as she drifted off.


	10. Chapter 10: Knight Takes Rook

**Chapter 10: Knight Takes Rook**

Welrod looked up at the clear autumn sky, the moon just a sliver of light against the dark expanse. A cool breeze rattled against her skin. Shivering, the girl wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck.

"How are things looking up there WA2000?" Welrod spoke into her earpiece.

"Same as the last few hours, no sign of anything to shoot. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do," the girl replied, her voice slightly muffled. For this operation Kalina supplied WA2000 with a cooler full of chocolate ice cream, ranging from tubs to popsicles to keep her awake and focused.

 _She is focused alright, but on which task, overwatch or eating?_

After the Battle of Glasgow, as their engagement came to be known, G&K higher-ups bestowed upon the Commander a grand ball in honor of his victory. Due to the girls' actions during the battle, Echelon 3 was chosen to be the private security for the event. She could still recall their faces as they were given the news.

Calico upon hearing she would be working backstage, immediately set to trying to find her best dress, excitedly muttering about being able to sing on stage. Lee Enfield, beaming, began humming a 19th century orchestral piece as she searched for her shoes. WA2000, face red, simply turned and looked for a dress, as well as a more inconspicuous container for her rifle.

The commander had picked Welrod to be his personal escort at the ball, much to the chagrin of many jealous T-Dolls at the facility.

 _Probably another one of his tests. Nothing I can't handle being the spy I am. We are working in my territory now._

Welrod was standing at the entrance to an art gallery, a mid-19th century establishment, which was to serve as the host building. Leaning against one of the marble lions that decorated the outside of the gallery, the girl scanned the horizon looking for her commander. She was wearing a black top with a purple skirt, with a dark overcoat hanging off her shoulders. In a suitcase at her side were her pistols, waiting to be called into action.

"Ah Miss Welrod, glad to see you in good health. I trust you are ready to partake in this extravaganza?"

Welrod jumped, she had not seen the commander arrive nor had she seen him sneak up on her.

"Yes Sir, the operation is going well. Nothing to be worried about." Flustered, Welrod tried to fix her hair which had moved out of place due to the commander's spook.

The commander laughed. He was wearing his dress uniform, his left side garnished with ribbons and medals displaying his accomplishments. Welrod noticed a new Wound Ribbon had been added to the bunch.

"Well milady, let us make an impact, what do you say?"

The Commander motioned for Welrod to lead on. As the girl turned to enter the event, the commander grabbed her shoulder.

"By God I almost forgot. Here, you will be needing this." The commander handed Welrod a pamphlet with a G&K logo on the front. Upon opening, the saw a picture of her face as well as a description of her job and physical appearance. She noticed under her picture was the name H.G. Wells.

"I had Kalina whip that up for me. Some of the attendees are known to have… mixed views on T-Dolls. Thus, I thought it wise or give you an alias."

Welrod again looked at the name, a slight smile growing across her face.

 _Clever._

"Right then, the ballroom awaits!" The Commander barreled past Welrod as he hurried inside. The girl followed in pursuit, entering the establishment. The art gallery had been transformed into a mid-19th century set piece. The walls were covered in ornate tapestries; hanging from the ceiling were golden chandeliers brimming with candles. In front of her was a wide stage, with an orchestra playing music of that era, a violinist beginning his solo. She saw the commander engaging in conversation with an elderly couple to her left. Upon approaching she could hear the commander's opening dialogue.

"Good evening my good man, I hope tonight finds you and your lovely wife in good spirits? How is the event treating you?" The Commander somewhere between the door and the couple had procured a wooden pipe. Welrod knew the commander didn't smoke, thus this appearance did give her a bit of a giggle as the man tried to appear as sophisticated as possible.

"Ah there she is, this is my escort I had been telling you about. Let me introduce to you Miss H.G. Wells."

Welrod approached the group and gave a meek curtsy.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance Sir and Madame. As my companion has said, my name is Duchess H.G. Wells of Glasgow."

"A Duchess! Milady we are so honored." The elderly man extended his hand to which Welrod gave hers.

"I thought the Glasgow line had been wiped out during the last Great War but behold here you stand! It's as if time itself has stood still." The old man smiled at Welrod, bending over to kiss her hand as was proper. He then gave the girl a wink and wandered off with his wife.

Welrod shot a glance at the Commander, who was attempting to hide his laughter.

 _Oh, I see what you're playing at. Fine, then Sir, if you want a Duchess, you'll get yourself a Duchess._

The two continued their walk of the grand ballroom. A waiter, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared with a platter of wine.

"Sir and Madame, please have a taste of our merlot."

 _Where did you come from? Of all the people around us why did you give us the wine?_

The two companions grabbed a glass, but before the commander could drink, Welrod snatched it from his hand and took a swig. The commander, shocked, stared at her.

"I have tasted the Merlot and can confirm it is not poisoned." She handed it back to the man who took a sip.

Welrod then took a sip of her own Merlot. Not her favorite wine by far but certainly not awful, and not poisoned. After she finished her drink, the girl noticed the Commander was talking to another gentleman.

"Sir, I see your pipe has ran out, would you like a light?"

Before he could protest, Welrod said, "Why thank you Sir, I'm sure my companion would love a good smoke." The girl shot the commander a smile, who was looking at her with a hint of frustration.

The man with the lighter lit the commander's tobacco. The commander, unaccustomed to smoking, inadvertently swallowed a bit of tobacco. Eyes watering, the commander worked to hide this mistake, although he began coughing quite harshly. Welrod, not going to let the opportunity to slip by, said "Try not to choke on your aspirations Commander."

The commander's coughing fit continued as he attempted to throw out a retort. Meanwhile another man approached the commander.

"Ah it's the man of the hour, glad to see that shoulder wound didn't keep you out of the fight," the man chuckled as he approached the commander. However, upon seeing the commander in distress, he turned his attention to Welrod.

"Hello there Miss, I presume you would be my friend's escort.

"H.G. Wells Duchess of Glasgow, it is an honor to make your acquaintance Sir. I hope the evening festivities find you in good spirits."

As Welrod extended her right hand to be kissed, she glanced over at the Commander. He was beginning to recover from his coughing; enough so that the commander realized what she was doing. A mischievous smile danced across his face.

 _The game is afoot now Sir._

"A pleasure to meet you milady, my name is John le Carre. I am a literary connoisseur from Oxford University. I think you would agree that this ballroom is truly a relic from a bygone age."

The man picked up a silver ladle from a punch bowl, carefully examining it.

"For example, look at this piece of culinary art. It's as if one went back in time just to pick it up for this event. Wouldn't you agree milady?" The man has a bit of a smirk on his face.

"Y-yes, truly a masterpiece." Welrod was attempting to move onto another subject. However, she didn't need to, as the man turned to the commander who had finally regained his composure. The commander reached out his hand and greeted his friend.

"John it is splendid to see you again. I'm surprised to see you out and about, I thought you would have had your nose stuffed in a book in the University Library."

The man, laughing, replied: "A desk is a dangerous place to view the world. There are so many sights to see and so many…" he was looking at Welrod, "Interesting people to meet.

"Though you are one to talk. Last year you were a logistics officer stuck behind a very similar desk. Now look at you: balls being held in your honor, and of course pretty women acting as your escort."

The commander, who for the first time Welrod noticed to be flustered, made his attempt to leave.

The Commander removed his beret and gave a deep bow.

"I'm afraid that me and Miss Wells must move on while the night is still young. Have a wonderful rest of the evening my friend."

"It was an honor to meet you Sir, I wish you good tidings." Welrod gave a curtsy, dropping herself lower than the commander, who tried to deepen the bow further. This continued until John, who was having a world of a time, spoke up.

"Yes, it was nice to see you again old friend, and it was my pleasure Duchess." The man returned the bow and stared directly at the commander.

"Remember Sir, the more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal."

John then turned and wandered off into the event. The commander, silent for a moment, turned to his escort.

"I do believe I beat you." The Commander had a smirk on his face that Welrod wanted to slap off.

"Hardly Sir, I do believe I was the more punctual of us two. You need to work on your posture, you're stooping. Also, we need to work on your smoking, I know you don't like it but it's impolite not to take a few puffs."

The night continued with the two companions trying to out-perform one another. One time the commander attempted to show off his intellect by explaining the history behind an art piece, only to be corrected by Welrod shortly after. Another challenge occurred at dinner, over which fork to use first. Welrod instinctively moved for the bigger of the two, only to have her hand caught by the commander, finger wagging, as he handed her the smaller of the two.

"Come now milady, you should know to use your silverware from the outside in. I'm sure your lessons in how to be a lady would have taught you that."

"And I would have thought your lessons in how to be a gentleman would have taught you to not grab a woman's hand so tightly."

Welrod was enjoying her company with the commander. _Despite being a little bit of an oddball, he does have a good sense of humor._

As the two began eating, a man approached the microphone on stage. Giving it a bit of a tap, the man began to speak.

"We are here to honor a great commander, who last month succeeded in driving back a Sangvis Ferri invasion near Glasgow. I am pleased to welcome this commander to the stage. Mister Eric Blair if you could say a few words."

The commander rose from his seat and approached the stage. Welrod remained seated, bewildered as she had never heard the commander's name before.

 _Eric Blair? Why is that familiar?_

"Welrod this is overwatch, we may have a problem." WA2000 voice echoed in her earpiece.

Touching the earpiece, Welrod responded, "What's wrong?"

"I saw something dart across the balcony towards the back side of the building. I have no visual on it now. Check the upper windows on the south side."

Welrod looked up and scanned the windows. Indeed, there was a shadow that could be seen outside; a formless mass in the darkness.

The commander's speech was reaching his end as he raised his glass in a toast.

"For good health, a long life, and a positive future."

It was then that Welrod noticed a red laser piercing the glass window. Following the trail, her eyes crossed the room and fell upon the commander, the sight trained on his heart.

Leaping to her feet, the girl charged the stage.

"GET DOWN COMMANDER!" Welrod yelled as a shot rang out.


	11. Chapter 11: Pawn Takes Knight

**Chapter 11: Pawn Takes Knight**

It was mass pandemonium. Guests fleeing in all directions. Security teams flooding the ballroom to clear the area. All Welrod cared about however, was making sure the commander was safe. She had knocked Eric to the ground, flattening him against the stage floor. While she was attempting to get a grip on the situation, the commander tried to lighten the mood.

"Miss Welrod, now is hardly the time nor the place," Eric said with a bit of a smirk on his face.

Welrod, realizing the position she was in, hurriedly rolled off the commander. The girl attempted to look as though she was unphased; and quickly scanned the ballroom. However, that didn't keep herself from blushing, something the commander picked up on.

"I mean I know it was the heat of the moment, but at least give me fair warning before you tackle me to the ground," Eric said teasingly. The commander had picked himself up off the ground and was carefully dusting himself off, the smirk still plastered across his face.

Welrod wanted to absolutely slug her superior in the jaw.

 _Is he really going to act like this right now? An attempt was just made on his life!_

The girl reached for her earpiece.

"Calico, you are going to have company. There is only one way off that roof, and it's through the back stage." Welrod had looked over the blueprints of the building in copious detail before the event began. She had taken note of any possible escape routes an assassin could use to flee the area. This was one of them.

"HALT." Calico's voice echoed through her earpiece. An exchange of gunfire was heard shortly thereafter followed by a pained grunt.

"I'm sorry Welrod, the bastard slipped by me. We took a piece out of each other. He's going out the back door towards the hedge maze."

The art gallery had implemented a hedge maze as one of the attractions at the event. At each dead end was a piece of art one could admire. No one had been able to leave the maze without assistance, possibly due to the hedges having the ability to be slid back and forth, changing pathways effortlessly.

Welrod opened her suitcase and grabbed her pistols. She gave the commander one last look before she began her pursuit. The commander had finished dusting himself off, and was looking at her, arms folded.

"Well, don't you have a villain to catch," the smirk being replaced by a genuine smile.

Welrod replied, "Don't worry sir, the hunt is afoot. The Duchess never lets her prey escape."

With a twirl of her pistols, the girl ran toward the back door. She could hear sniper fire as she exited the building. Lee-Enfield's voice was heard over the din.

"Miss Welrod, the miscreant is sliding down the southwestern drainage pipe. I clipped his shoulder."

Welrod set her eyes on the southwest corner of the building. The shadow she had seen earlier was sliding down the pipe. Landing on the ground, the shadow sprinted for the hedge maze, with the girl in pursuit.

The shadow entered, then Welrod. The girl had her pistol drawn as she turned the corners of the maze. Large green walls towered over her relatively short frame. Each hedge was adorned with white roses, and if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, she probably would have stopped to smell a few. As she turned another corner, she hit a dead end.

"It seems the hunter has become the hunted." A new voice, one that could send a chill down any veteran's spine.

Welrod whirled around to face the noise. A figure turned from around the corner at the other side of the corridor. The figure was in full combat fatigue, sporting a mask with night vision goggles.

"My intelligence was right about your team. They certainly are some of the best Dolls I have encountered. Still, they are inferior in every way in comparison to my splendor." The voice echoed through the mask like nails on a chalkboard.

"On your knees!" Welrod raised her pistols towards her aggressor, who was stepping closer and closer.

"You however are different. Your commander has allowed you and only you almost free reign under his command. Have you ever wondered why?"

"One more step and I will be forced to shoot." Welrod's pistols quivered a bit.

The figure stopped, a soft chuckle emanating from the mask. "Oh, you can shoot, but you won't hit me." The figure extended her hands, beckoning the girl to lay waste to her.

Welrod, who had heard enough of this nonsense, fired again. She could see her bullets impact the figure, as it crumpled to the ground.

 _So much for your splendor. You were hardly a challenge at…_

The girl felt immense pain as something penetrated her gut. Looking down she could see a knife poking through her abdomen. Suddenly an electric shock ripples through her body. The same chilling voice spoke into her ear.

"Looks are deceiving, aren't they?"

Another shock hit the girl, as Welrod collapsed onto the ground, doubled over in pain.

"H-how…" Welrod was having trouble breathing. Normally a T-Doll could take a chest wound, but this was something different. It was as if her insides were on fire.

"How I'm still alive? Or how you're dying? Well little princess I can't give away all my trade secrets. However, I will bestow upon you one. The "me" you shot was just a decoy, a "dummy" if you will. It is an extension of my being, as perfect as I am." The figure let out a soft giggle as they circled Welrod.

The figure stopped in front of the girl, crouched and lifted her chin. The figure had removed their night vision goggles. A pair of deep red eyes stared into her very being. Another shock rippled through Welrod, this one even more intense than the last. She could feel her core overheating.

"A pity, such a pretty face. Alas this is where we must part ways. By my calculations, by the time your team finds this location, both you and I will be long gone. The difference being me very much alive and you…" The voice trailed off as the figure looked over its shoulder. "Now this is an interesting development."

Two shots rang out and the figure collapsed to the dirt. Footsteps were heard approaching quickly. Welrod was beginning to lose consciousness.

"Miss Welrod, you're going to be alright, stay with me ok?"

The commander removed the knife, the gaping wound steaming from the extreme heat. Welrod looked up at the Commander, who had his revolver drawn. He was eyeing the wound, concerned.

Welrod gave a weak smile, "Took you long enough Sir."

It was then her system gave out and she fell into unconsciousness, the echoes of her commander calling for help over the radio the only thing she heard as Welrod drifted away.


	12. Chapter 12: Bishop Takes Rook

**Chapter 12: Bishop Takes Rook**

"What's happening, is Welrod going to be alright?"

"I'm sure she will be fine, Springfield is the best surgeon we have."

"I can't bear to watch."

Welrod was drifting in and out of consciousness. One minute she could feel herself being lifted onto a trolley and wheeled through a dark corridor. The next she was blinded by a bright light on the operating room table.

Her mind was a sea of lost memories and decisions. She saw herself standing on a battlefield; a city burnt and battered. The corpse of a human soldier lay before her, his rank obscured by his protruding collarbone. A gaping wound could be seen in his upper abdomen. She bent down towards the fallen man to examine him. The corpse snapped its neck towards Welrod with a crack.

"* _Gasp*_ " Welrod was sitting up on the operating room table, her system running in overdrive. A little girl in a white and blue nurse outfit ran to her aid.

"Miss Welrod, it's ok you're safe now." The girl grabbed Welrod's hand to calm her down.

Welrod was shooting her eyes around; she had no clue where she was nor how long, she'd been there.

"Shh, it's ok Miss Welrod, it was just a nightmare. Everything is alright."

Welrod began to calm down, slowing her breath and eventually stabilizing. She looked down at her caretaker. She had blonde hair, with a light blue ribbon streaking through it.

"Who are you little girl?" Welrod was now surveying the room, looking for a possible escape route in case things got messy, as well as possible hostiles.

"My name is KP31, but most people call me Suomi. You must be incredibly stressed. Let me go get some music to calm you down." The little girl left her side and exited the room. Welrod noticed five shadows were sitting just outside, who in unison got up and rushed the door. First to enter was Calico.

"Your majesty!" Calico cried as she practically tackled Welrod in her bed. If Welrod wasn't stressed out before, she surely was now, as she could feel the girl squeezing the remains of her life out of her.

"We were so worried about you. We saw you on the gurney with that wound in your chest and didn't know what to think!"

"Yea, it sure was lucky the commander got to you when he did. Otherwise I wouldn't have a racing partner!" Grizzly had approached the operating table, latching onto another part of Welrod.

 _Ok, ladies this is starting to get uncomfortable._

"I had faith Miss Springfield wouldn't let us down. I'm proud to share a heritage with someone as courageous as you!" Lee Enfield had appeared on the other side of the bed, hugging the left side of Welrod.

 _Can barely breath here. Still have a chest wound._

The next to enter was WA2000, who despite her efforts, was clearly showing she was visually upset. She kept her distance a bit before Calico giggled, "You know, WA2000 was the most concerned out of all of us."

Face reddening, WA2000 said, "I wasn't worried, I knew everything was completely under control." Even still, she too joined the group hug. The girls hugged it out for a good few minutes before Lee-Enfield noticed the fifth figure leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded.

"Alright ladies, Miss Welrod needs her rest, let's leave her to it."

"But we just got here!" Calico cried as she gave Welrod one last squeeze.

The echelon exited the way they came, and Welrod finally was able to focus on the fifth figure.

"Good afternoon, Duchess." The Commander smiled as he unfolded his arms and approached the bed.

"It's good to see you Sir." Welrod shifted her weight to straighten up. This only caused injury to herself. She let out a short gasp.

"At ease milady, you've earned that at the very least."

Welrod relaxed her back and sank into the pillow. The commander pulled up a chair and sat down next to the girl. He reached out his hand, grabbing hers. There was silence for a while, until the commander spoke again.

"You know, I never was able to formally thank you for your actions two nights ago."

 _It had been two days since the ball?!_

"It was my pleasure Sir, I only wish it could have ended better for the both of us." Welrod let out a little chuckle, which was all she could muster to avoid hurting herself.

"You know it's funny. In just a month, you and I have swapped places. I certainly hope this isn't going to become a common occurrence. Let the others have a chance now and then."

Welrod chuckled as she remembered the battle that occurred last month, and her conversation with the commander after the fact. The girl recalled something else as well.

"Eric, do you remember the conversation we had after the battle a month ago?"

"Hard to forget, taking a laser bolt to the chest is hardly something you allow your memory to drop isn't it?" The commander smiled, although his face indicated he was attempting to see where this conversation was going.

"That day, I entered the tent, and saw an odd scar on your back arranged into an unusual shape. Where did that come from Sir?"

"Oh, that? Simply an injury I sustained on one of my many expeditions years ago. Nothing to be concerned about really. Now, I want to discuss with you the procedure going forward over the next few…" the commander replied, his smile wavering a bit. He was attempting to avoid the question.

"Sir, I'm sure whatever happened wasn't your fault."

The smile vanished from the commander's face as he lowered his head. Eric rose from his seat.

"I'm sorry Miss Welrod, but I think I may have overstayed my welcome. I'm sure you need your rest, so I'll leave you to it." The man turned to leave, and despite Welrod's protests exited the room.

 _What was he so fearful of letting get out?_

Welrod's mind was racing, trying to discern the commander's past. Were the events of two nights ago tied to the scars on his back? What did he know that she didn't? The door opened again.

"Commander I…" But instead of the commander, it was Suomi who had in her hands a stack of records, tapes, and lyrics.

The girl approached Welrod's bedside and heaved the stack onto her knees.

"Here you go! This music always puts my mind at ease. I'd recommend starting with _that_ one first!" The little girl pointed at one of the records. It was labeled: Black Sabbath.

"Oh, and the commander wanted me to give you this." The little girl handed Welrod a package, wrapped in red paper and adorned with a white rose. Suomi gave a little curtsy and exited the room.

Welrod opened the gift, finding a pair of fuzzy pink earmuffs hiding inside, with a note attached to them. It read:

Wells:

I hope these fit you. Kalina never told me your dimensions. They may come in handy.

Respectfully,

Eric

 _Could be useful during the winter months, though the color is a bit gaudy._

Welrod then turned to the stack of music and picked up the record the little girl suggested.

"Lord of This World?" The girl set the record on its turnstile and prepared to play it.

 _Well if it had come from such a sweet little girl it must be relaxing right?_


	13. Chapter 13: King and Queen

**Chapter 13: King and Queen**

 _Lord of this world,_

 _Evil Possessor._

 _Lord of this world,_

 _He's your confessor now._

Welrod was reciting the lyrics to the song Suomi suggested. The commander's gift had certainly come in handy; Suomi's music only came with a single volume setting. Despite the intensity, from both the noise and language, Welrod found she enjoyed the music, enough to ask Suomi for more, which pleased the little girl immensely.

It had been three days since she first awakened, and Echelon 3 was to be assigned another combat sortie. The team were clueless as to what their mission truly was, although there were rumors. Word was spreading of a high value IOP asset being taken captive by Sangvis forces. While not one to get her hopes up, Welrod was anxious to get out into the field again. The girl leaned back in her chair, pulled one of her pistols from its holster and began to twirl it.

The girls were sitting in Briefing Room 3C, one of the oldest briefing rooms in the facility. The fluorescent lamps were flickering, casting shadows of the T-Dolls waiting patiently in their seats against the cracked cement walls.

"He's always late." WA2000 had her head face down on the desk in front of her. "When will that idiot learn not to keep a lady waiting."

Welrod could hear Grizzly talking to herself in the back; something about her tires being flat. Upon turning around Welrod could see the girl leaning back with her feet on the desk in front of her, sunglasses over her eyes. Welrod waved her hand in front of the girl's face; no response.

"I'm going to get some more tea. Miss Welrod would you like a cup?" Lee-Enfield's eyes were beginning to sag. Welrod nodded, then tilted her head back to recount the dots on the ceiling.

 _You think you're innocent, you've nothing to fear._

 _You don't know me you say, but isn't it clear?_

Just as Lee was getting up, the projector light turned on just as the lights in the room were dimmed. Welrod snapped back to reality as the commander entered through a side door. The man calmly approached, file in hand, and stood behind the projector. Welrod glanced around; all the other girls were also at attention.

"Good morning ladies. Tonight, Echelon 3 has been assigned to a snatch and grab operation. As you have more than likely heard, an IOP researcher has been taken captive by Sangvis Ferri."

The commander inserted a slide, showing a map of the British Isles, more specifically Scotland.

"Intelligence suggests the asset is being held in a warehouse in southern Perth, a town to the northeast. It is said to be heavily reinforced; expect armor and heavy infantry. Your squad was handpicked because of your ability to handle these defenses."

The man reached into the file, pulling out another slide and inserted it into the machine. A woman in a lab coat appeared on screen.

"This is the asset: Miss Audrey Townshend, an IOP researcher from the T-Doll manufacturing facility in York. She was reported as missing one week ago today. You are to find Miss Audrey and return her safely to the company."

While the commander was speaking, Calico had her hand raised, waving it back and forth. Once the commander had finished his talking point he finally addressed the girl.

"Yes, Miss Calico?"

"It's not that I'm opposed to sneaking missions, but when are we going to blow something up?"

The commander, chuckling inserted a third slide.

"You will also have a few secondary objectives to complete. An ammunition dump and fuel depot were found within the compound. Destroying these targets could prove vital to the war effort."

The slide had a picture of the two facilities, as well as an X for each on the little map provided to the squad.

Welrod glanced at Calico, who was pumping her fist in excitement. The girl smiled, as she looked back at the screen.

"Remember: your primary objective is securing the safety of Miss Townshend. We do not know what those Sangvis bastards want out of Miss Audrey, but it cannot be a good thing."

The commander then walked out from behind the projector and moved amongst the girls, handing them each a slip of paper.

"The research and development team has granted each of you a new piece of equipment for this operation. After this briefing you are to head to the armory for refit. Understood?"

"Yes Sir!" The echelon replied in unison, each raising a hand to their head in salute.

"I need not remind you the importance of this mission. IOP is a business partner of ours. Doing this favor for them will surely bring forth other benefits. Dismissed."

The projector turned off as the Echelon rose from their seats to prepare for their mission.

"Miss Welrod, a word please." Welrod, who was halfway out the door at this point, turned back to her superior.

"Reporting for duty, Sir. What is it you need?" She could see the commander deep in thought.

 _What are you having me do?_

"There's something else I need your team to find. Inside the warehouse there will be a server room, which has the locations and names of G&K operatives. I need the information extracted and the warehouse burned to the ground." He showed Welrod a thumb drive. "Use this thumb drive to extract the information and return it to me."

"What does G&K need this information for Sir?" Welrod was a little suspicious of the commander's orders, especially considering the rest of the echelon wasn't hear this from the commander himself.

"I'm sorry Miss Welrod but that's classified information. Just know that the whereabouts of these operatives are paramount to the war effort. Now I bid you farewell and good luck!" The Commander gave her a pat on the shoulder as well as a smile and turned to leave. The man stopped however and looked back at Welrod.

"I may have had some influence on your equipment upgrades; I hope you find it useful tonight."

With that, the commander made his leave. Welrod was troubled; while she didn't want to question the commander, something about this secret objective seemed a bit off.

 _The commander has not let me down yet, I need to trust his judgement._

Her doubts still echoing in her mind, Welrod exited the briefing and room and made her way towards the armory.


	14. Chapter 14: Check

**Chapter 14: Check**

Welrod could feel a cool mist against her skin as she creeped along the southwestern wall of the compound. The team had been flown in via helicopter and dropped two miles outside Perth. Welrod set up Lee-Enfield and WA2000 on a hill southeast of her current position, which gave a full view of the compound. Behind Welrod were Calico and Grizzly, keeping pace with weapons drawn. WA2000's voice echoed through the girl's earpiece.

"So what's the big deal about our new ammo again?" Welrod heard the girl shifting her weight trying to get comfortable. The two snipers had been sitting stationary for a good hour now.

"It's an APHE round developed for anti-armor engagements. I heard the Yanks shipped over a few crates for us to test." Lee-Enfield replied. "Though I will agree I do not understand what the big deal is. Our regular AP rounds should do the job just fine."

Welrod could hear WA2000 mutter something under her breath, something about German technical superiority.

"Cut the chatter you two, we are approaching the southern gate. We need you focused." Calico had spoken up.

 _It's good to have another Doll able to take charge every now and again._

The three handgun equipped Dolls stacked up below the left guard tower. Welrod glanced up, seeing a sniper barrel sweeping the horizon. She then glanced at the other watchtower. A head was poking just above the guardrail, but the guard's rifle barrel could be seen standing up in a corner.

"Alright, we have two targets, one in each tower. You two need to take them out in unison." Welrod waited patiently as the two snipers argued over whether it should be done after three or on three.

Calico, getting impatient, gritted her teeth saying, "Tonight ladies."

Moments later, a soft zing was heard, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor of the tower. Welrod noticed the guard in the second tower glance over, only to fall moments later from the second shot.

"Well done ladies, keep it up." Welrod led the way as the group entered the compound. Searchlights crisscrossed the soft earth in front of them. The three dolls darted through the break in the light's sweep and stacked up behind what looked like the remains of a restaurant.

"Alright time to split up. I'll go after the asset, you two set charges on the ammo and fuel depots. Figure out which one is doing which." Welrod was about to move out when Calico piped up.

"But why can't I go after the asset? That seems more fun AND dangerous!"

"You wanted to blow things up didn't you?" Welrod replied.

Calico thought for a moment then shrugged her shoulders, responding with, "You're not wrong."

Grizzly spoke up next, "Don't forget that file for the commander, as you said it's in the same warehouse as the target."

Welrod nodded, she had almost forgotten her personal objective.

"Right, meet back here within half an hour. Break radio silence only when necessary. Now, move!"

The T-Dolls each sprinted towards their objective, carefully avoiding being spotted and alerting the enemy. Welrod moved from cover to cover, box to barrel, taking refuge as a squad of Dragoons marched passed her. The girl saw the old warehouse looming before her. Rolling out of cover, she sneaked her way through what used to be a parking lot and slipped behind a parked utility truck. She noticed the door to the warehouse guarded by a Sangvis Doll in body armor.

"Overwatch, do you have eyes on the warehouse?" Welrod knew she couldn't sneak her way past this one.

"Affirmative, what do you require." Lee-Enfield's elegant voice echoed through the microphone.

"Give me an entrance." Seconds later Welrod heard a bullet snap over her head as she saw the guard crumple to the ground.

"Hmph, too easy." WA2000 had hit her shot.

The girl waited for another searchlight to pass,then moved towards the warehouse with her weapons drawn. She gave the Android a good kick. No, response.

 _The ladies are certainly earning their keep tonight._

Welrod opened the door, and checked her corners. No enemies in sight. The girl flicked her flashlight on and surveyed the warehouse. The location must have previously been an Air Museum, as there were several old war planes on display. Welrod saw a Spitfire, Hurricane, and even a Mosquito, names she remembered from a art book the commander had shown her.

 _Eric would have had a blast in here._

She dragged the guard inside and hid it behind a pair of boxes. A voice called out from her earpiece.

"This is Calico, charges are in place. Returning to the rendezvous point."

 _That's one objective complete, two to go._

Welrod continued her mission, darting her eyes back and forth. A crash of metal drew her attention as she swung her arms towards the noise. A cat darted into the darkness as soon as the flashlight found it.

 _One mission without a scare would be a welcome change._

The girl neared what looked like a security office. She stacked up against the wall adjacent to the door, wheeled to her left and kicked it in. Upon entering, she saw a guard attempt to get up from its chair; a shot to the head put down her would be assailant. Turning her sights to the right, she spotted a woman in a white lab coat sitting in a chair with her arms tied behind it.

Welrod approached the woman, weapon still drawn, and spoke to her. "Are you Miss Audrey?"

Upon hearing her name, the woman lifted her head. She was bleeding from her temple, but her eyes showed a steely determination. Welrod lifted the photo of the woman to her face. It was a match.

"This is Grizzly, my charges are in place and ready to blow. Meeting up with Calico." The doll's hushed voice crackled over the microphone. Welrod looked at her watch: right on schedule.

 _Two down, one to go._

"Miss Audrey, my name is Welrod, I am a T-Doll sent by G&K to rescue you."

Welrod moved forward to untie the captive.

"Bless you Miss, I knew someone would be here to help."

The girl cut the ties off the woman's wrists and helped her to her feet. Despite the desire to carry on with the mission, she couldn't help but ask the woman a few questions.

"What was Sangvis Ferri looking for? Why were you taken? Are there any other captives we should be aware of?"

The woman straightened herself up and replied, "Captives besides me? As far as I'm aware I am the only one in the compound."

Audrey gave her legs a shake as she continued, "As for the what, IOP is developing a new covering that should increase the durability of the average T-Doll; you can see why Sangvis Ferri would be interested in this technology."

The woman rubbed her wrists. "And as for why I was the one taken captive, I don't know for sure. Though I have a hunch that since I'm director of operations at IOP they thought I knew all there was to know about the project.

Despite her current situation, a smile crept across the researcher's face.

"That's where they miscalculated, as even in my position everything is on a need to know basis."

Welrod looked at the woman's face, nothing immediately tipped her off as unnatural. She was probably telling the truth. And despite the head wound she looked to be in a decent shape. But enough to run?

"Miss Audrey, are you in a decent enough state to be able to…"

"Run? Dearie I may have been sitting in this chair for a week but my legs have been aching for a run."

 _Good, at least that means I won't have to carry you out._

Welrod exited the security office with Audrey in tow. The girl reached for her earpiece.

"This is Welrod,I've located the asset — break. En route to rendezvous — break. Overwatch, call the helicopter, we will be meeting with you shortly."

Just as Welrod was about to leave, she recalled the commander's request for the information on the G&K officials. The girl scanned the upper works of the warehouse, spotting a staircase on the eastern side that led to an office hanging above the museum. Welrod turned and rushed up the stairs.

"Miss Welrod where are you going?" Miss Audrey was keeping pace, barely.

The girl burst through the door and saw a long table covered with various computer consoles. Rushing to the nearest one, she powered it on and after a short boot up, scrolled through searching for the file in question.

 _Come on, come on, where are you bastard?_

"Welrod where are you? Grizzly and I are at the rendezvous. We need to go now!" Calico's voice was calm, but the girl could tell she was beginning to get apprehensive.

"Ran into a complication, I will be there shortly."

 _There!_

Welrod found the file she was looking for and clicked on it. A document fifteen pages long was opened for her with a list of names, aliases, and locations. She inserted the thumb drive and began the download.

"Who's shell casings are these?" A deep voice could be heard through Welrod's earpiece. Grizzly must have picked up a radio off of one of her victims.

"HQ we may have a possible intruder, continuing investigation. Requesting extra manpower." A second hostile voice continued where the last left off.

"Biker buddy, we need to get out of here, I think they know something is up. Security has been increased." Grizzly wasn't attempting to hide the concern in her voice.

 _Just another minute..._

"Hold fast, we are on the way!" Welrod's voice was losing its calm temperament. Sweat was beginning to pour down her face as she stared at the progress bar.

"They're going to be on top of us any minute. Two squads have been just dispatched from the barracks to investigate the southern guardtowers and the armory. I don't know what you're doing but we need to leave!" Grizzly's voice was starting to get a bit curt, the stress of the situation beginning to show.

The thumb drive was almost halfway done…

60%

Out of the corner of her eye, Welrod noticed Audrey glancing nervously out the window.

79%

 _Can't this damn thing go any faster?!_

"Welrod…" Lee-Enfield's voice this time.

"I said hold on dammit!" Welrod had lost her patience as she was desperately trying to urge the bar to move.

"Hey, Thunder!" a gravelly voice echoed through her earpiece. "I said Thunder, god dammit!"

"HQ, we may have located the intruders, requesting support." A second voice crackled through.

Silence followed for what seemed like an eternity.

"Welrod, we've been had, what should we do?" Calico was muttering into her earpiece.

"Who are you talking to?" A third voice, equally malicious. The sound of gravel being crushed underfoot could be heard softly in the background as the two mysterious voices approached her colleagues.

Welrod looked at the thumb drive's progress.

95%

 _It's now or never._

Welrod whispered into her microphone. "Ladies, go to plan B."


	15. Chapter 15: Check Mate

**Chapter 15: Check-Mate**

A faint glow appeared outside the warehouse window. Two fiery plumes reached towards the heavens as their light illuminated the compound below. Welrod rushed to the researcher to shield her from the shockwave. The girl tackled the woman to the ground, just as the aftershock hit the building. The already brittle warehouse windows burst inward, showering Welrod in a torrent of glass and wooden splinters.

Picking herself off the ground, she could feel the dozens of glass chips stuck into her skin. She could hear an exchange of small arms fire in the distance, as well as the sniper team opening up. The girl looked at the researcher.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome."

Leading the way, Welrod proceeded down the stairs and out the warehouse door, the researcher keeping up the best she could. Sirens were blaring as she could see multiple armed hostiles exiting the barracks in front of her. The girl raised her pistols and fired, downing two Dragoons at the head of the pack. As the enemy squad raised their weapons, Welrod dove into cover, pulling the researcher with her. A hail of plasma rounds shot past them, impacting against the warehouse wall.

Seconds later, another explosion was heard, as the squad in front of them vaporized.

"Explosive barrels? Who knew?" Calico had joined the two, with Grizzly bringing up the rear.

"You must be our researcher. I hope you like cardio, because we have about two and half miles of it coming up really quick." Calico gave the researcher a cheeky smile, which was not well received by the woman.

Plasma rounds were still being fired overhead, as Welrod scanned the battlefield for an opening. Several armored assault vehicles were pulling up at the southern gate to prevent their escape. In the north, wave after wave of Dragoons were pouring out of their housing facilities. The west and east sides of the compound were a blazing inferno of petrol and ammunition.

 _Well, it seems we only have one option._

"Ok, Grizzly I have an idea. Do you have any explosives left on you?"

With a wicked grin, Grizzly revealed several packs of explosives in her knapsack.

"Ok, firstly when we get back to base we are going to go over proper explosive safety and storage."

Welrod looked at the oncoming convoy. It had busted through the gate and was making its way down the road. A Manticore led the way, followed by a few armored cars.

 _Just like the simulation._

"Now, here's the plan. I am going to draw that Manticore's attention. Grizzly, I need you to take the opportunity I give you to get those explosives on that walker."

The girl then turned to Calico; the girl could hear crunching metal and a whining engine approaching.

"Calico I need you to grab our researcher and find a way to push past those armored cars. I'll have Lee cover you."

"Affirmative Welrod, I'll be ready." Lee's determined voice shot through her receiver.

 _I hope this works._

"Alright, now move!"

As Welrod lept out from behind cover, it was as if time stood still. One foot hit the ground, followed by the other, as she rushed the Manticore. She could see its plasma cannon move as it tried to acquire her heat signature.

On the helicopter ride over, she realized she could overclock her exo-suit to give her a moment of extra agility, something Eric personally requested the equipment be able to do.

 _Time to put this to the test._

With an agility she never thought possible, Welrod maneuvered around the plasma shots coming from the Manticore, ducking and weaving passed barrels and other fallen debris. The walking tank stopped its forward momentum to more accurately fire upon Welrod.

The Manticore's fun leveled itself at Welrod, ready to let loose another volley. Continuing her charge, the girl slid on her knees, letting the plasma energy arc over her head, the rounds impacting against a parked rations vehicle. The following explosion only added to the ensuing chaos.

Meanwhile, Grizzly was going up the left side, firing her gun wildly at whatever trooper dared show face. Welrod could see Grizzly hurl the charges onto the back of the Manticore, and then throwing herself clear. The explosion she expected to follow didn't happen.

"Grizzly, could use a little boom here." While she was still evading the Manticore's fire, her exo-suit was struggling to keep up the overclock. She could feel her speed begin to slow.

 _Running out of tricks here._

"Uh, heh, sorry Miss Welrod, I kind of… sort of… lost the trigger."

 _Are you kidding me._

It was then the Manticore exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions. Welrod could see the top half of the walking tank resting a short distance away from the remains of its legs.

"You owe me a carton of chocolate ice cream. None of that Ben & Jerry drivel either." WA2000 without warning, had shot the explosives on the Manticore.

 _That's now two ladies I need to discuss explosive safety with._

While this chaos was unfolding, Calico, the researcher slung over her shoulders, was moving through a salvage yard adjacent to the road. It only took a moment for the enemies in the armored cars to realize what was happening, and they turned, firing at the retreating doll. Lee-Enfield opened up with her sniper rifle, her rounds penetrating the armored cars one after another.

If the gunner could be seen shooting outside the vehicle, a short time later it'd be slumping back inside. If the car were enclosed, Lee would penetrate the relatively thin exterior killing whatever lay inside.

About a minute passed, and the gun fire from the convoy fell silent. Calico called out over the radio.

"This is Calico. The package and I are outside the compound, it's time for you two to leave."

The two dolls remaining inside the facility followed the trail of destruction towards and out the southern gate. Welrod saw Calico motioning for them to follow, before disappearing into the tree line, Audrey in tow.

It was then Welrod heard a whistle, then an explosion, followed by a mountain of dirt being thrown in the air. Mortar fire had begun shelling the retreating dolls. The girls kept going, the shelling only growing thicker.

 _We just need to reach the tree line._

Welrod heard another explosion right behind her, the shockwave throwing her forward onto the ground. Dazed, the girl shook her head and looked for her companion. She could see Grizzly face down in the dirt. Rushing to her side, Welrod's heart sank. The lower half of her teammate was gone. Gritting her teeth, Welrod hoisted Grizzly onto her shoulder and continued her sprint.

As she ran, the girl felt her partner reawaken, and could hear pistol rounds being fired in the direction of their pursuers, the recoil resonating through her body. The two girls reached the forest's edge and burst inside. Plasma bolts were cutting through trees and rocks alike as leaves and branches rained down upon them.

Over the din, Welrod heard a helicopter approaching. She made her way towards the noise, crushing brush underfoot as she went. The girl burst through a set of bushes and entered a clearing. In the center of the plain she could see the remaining squad members spread out with their guns raised. The helicopter was attempting to land at their location.

Using whatever power, she had left, Welrod sprinted for her team. The girls' pursuers crashed through the underbrush and began firing upon the group. Welrod could hear both plasma and rifle fire zipping over her head as she closed the final distance towards safety.

She boarded the helicopter, and one after another, the squad followed suit. She carefully laid Grizzly down on the seat next to the researcher and moved to tell the pilot to take off.

"Sir, we need to…"

"Miss I can't take off with this much incoming fire. We'll all be sitting ducks." The pilot was trying his best to keep his cool, but Welrod could tell he was panicking. Without someone firing at the incoming hostiles, there was nothing preventing them from focusing their fire on the helicopter, which was already sustaining damage. The field of view inside wasn't wide enough to give the girls vision to clear out the enemies either.

"I'll do it."

Welrod whirled around. Lee-Enfield was standing behind her with her weapon drawn, a sweet smile plastered across her face.

"No, Lee we can figure this out. Now, all we need to do is…" Welrod wouldn't even consider the option Lee put before her.

"You and I both know by the time we do think of something; this helicopter will be nothing more than a burning hulk."

"But if you're captured, then…" T-Dolls were never meant to be left behind, as their memories could be tapped, causing all sorts of problems for G&K.

"Then, do what needs to be done."

Before Welrod could protest, Lee-Enfield turned around and exited the helicopter. The sound of her rifle firing could be heard over the tumultuous din of energy blasts. Welrod turned back to the pilot.

"Take off now!" With a bit of a lurch, the helicopter began to gain altitude.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Calico was at her side screaming in her ear.

Welrod could see Lee-Enfield below them, firing more hastily than usual at the encroaching enemy. The girl could see she wasn't aiming at the enemies close by however, she was trying to hit something in the tree line.

Welrod raised her pistol, aiming for her core housed within her chest cavity. Her gun wavered; the helicopter was swinging back and forth. She heard WA open up at the enemies below.

 _Do what must be done._

The girl brought the gunsight back to Lee's torso. She had fallen backward, her leg blown off, and was now sitting upright trying to keep firing downrange. Her once beautiful face was marred with cuts and burns. Dirt was kicking up all around her, but not from plasma rounds.

 _No, there's still time. We can..._

A shot rang out right next to her head. Welrod could see Lee's lifeless form crumpling to the ground, her chest blown out from an APHE round; bits of machinery littered the grass around her. Glancing to her left, the girl saw WA2000 with her gun raised, the barrel smoking. In silence, the WA2000 returned to her seat and placed her head in her hands.

Welrod closed the bay door as the helicopter tilted away from the battle. Plasma bolts chased the aircraft into the night, but it proved fruitless.

Calico sat next to Grizzly trying to make her comfortable. Welrod knew it was just an attempt to get her mind off what had just transpired.

Welrod sat down opposite the others, thoughts swirling in her head.

 _It was her choice to make. We will get her back, but it won't be the same_ her _will it?_

Welrod was trying to console herself, but she couldn't help but feel this was her fault.

 _When we get back, the first thing I'm doing, is making sure Grizzly is stable._

The girl turned to look out the window.

 _Then, I'm going to have a little chat with the commander._


	16. Chapter 16: A New Game

**Chapter 16: A New Game**

The echelon was deathly silent on its return to Sector 78. Calico was still sitting opposite Welrod, gently caressing Grizzly's hair in an attempt to comfort her. WA2000 was curled up in the corner of the helicopter, legs pulled to her chest, her head buried in her knees. Welrod glanced out the window. The night sky was still dark, but a shade of blue rather than the pitch black expanse that surrounded them as they took off.

Welrod got up out of her seat and walked to the cockpit. She could see through the windshield the landing lights of the north-eastern helipad beckoning the echelon home. The pilot turned to the girl.

"Miss, I want to thank you and your echelon for getting me and my copilot home safely. When you get your squad member back, relay our thanks to her will ya?" The copilot nodded his head in agreement.

Welrod answered the question with silence, and after a brief period returned the gesture. She then returned to her seat to think about the upcoming confrontation.

 _I sure hope these names were worth the sacrifices tonight Eric. We lost Lee, Grizzly was horribly maimed, and WA2000 might be mentally broken. All because I had to do that little errand for you. These consequences may be on me, but they're also on you Commander._

The helicopter jolting as it hit the helipad brought her back to reality. Welrod looked back at Calico and Grizzly. Calico was attempting to lift the other girl over her shoulder. Welrod rose and moved to her side, grabbing Grizzly's left shoulder and whatever remained of her lower back. Calico move to grab the other side of the doll, and in unison proceeded down the gantry way. WA2000 had already gone; bolting as soon as the rear hatch opened.

 _I'll have to speak with her later._

Calico glanced ahead of her. The only one to greet them was Springfield, who was standing with a gurney at her side. Her motherly smile still shown through the early morning darkness, ever a beacon of hope and comfort.

The two dolls set Grizzly down on the gurney, Calico wandering off to find WA2000. Welrod rubbed her temples, and looked back at Springfield. The woman's smile had faded, her expression replaced by a blankness that chilled Welrod to the bone. Springfield lowered her head before calmly speaking to the girl.

"We heard your team had come under heavy fire, but we didn't expect…" Springfield turned her head back to the helicopter.

With a bit of a sigh, Springfield continued. "Grizzly will be in good hands, I promise you that. Now go and find the commander, he needs to speak with you."

Welrod gave Springfield a nod, and walked towards the facility. She entered the building, the faint glow of fluorescent lamps guiding her through the long halls. The corridors were empty, making her journey to the commander's office much faster than she expected, and desired.

With a deep breath, the girl opened the door to Eric's office. The office was darker than when she saw it last; the crackling fire which had greeted her nearly two months ago replaced by a few glowing embers. Welrod saw the commander standing at a window with his arms behind his back. The sun was beginning to rise above the mountains, the dark blue sky being replaced with bits of orange and yellow.

The commander, upon hearing the girl's entry turned to face her. His face was solemn; eyes usually holding courage and determination only revealing sadness. The two stared at one another for a brief moment, before the commander broke the silence.

"Do you have the file?" The commander's voice was hoarse, slightly deeper than what she was used to.

"Excuse me, Sir?" Welrod looked at her Commander, an incredulous look on her face.

"I said, do you have the file?" The commander repeated his question in the same soft tone as before. His weight was shifting back and forth.

"Here." Welrod placed the thumb drive on the commander's desk. Her anger was beginning to rise.

"And Miss Audrey?" The Commander had turned back around to face the window, his arms now crossed in front of him.

"Fine," Welrod spat the word with pure venom. Her frustration was reaching its boiling point.

"Good, that will be all Miss Welrod."

 _No. It won't._

"Excuse me Sir, but have you lost your mind!" Welrod's outburst seemed to jolt the commander. He turned around to face her. It would have been wiser not to, as Welrod took this time to lay into him.

"Not ONCE have you asked if my team and I are alright. Grizzly is badly injured and Lee is DEAD! It took me showing you the drive before you even asked if the RESEARCHER was alright. All you seem to care about is this bloody file!"

Welrod gritted her teeth with malice; all of the pent up aggression she let stew on the helicopter ride back was showing. The girl continued.

"Well guess what, if it weren't for getting the information off of that console, the mission would have gone off flawlessly! Lee wouldn't be lying in a field with a hole in her chest, Grizzly would still have her legs, and WA2000 wouldn't be an emotional wreck somewhere in the compound!"

Welrod had lost all sense of composure, tears forming in her eyes as she felt the swirling of emotions grip her. The commander continued to look at her in silence, fueling her further.

"Is this all we are to you? Just chess pieces on a board for you to sacrifice whenever you please? You sit here pretending that we are all a family and that each of us matters, only to turn around and toss us aside like broken toy soldiers. As if you think we, I, would accept that?"

Welrod's fists were balled. She looked directly in the commander's eyes, searching for something, anything. The only thing that greeted her was an emotionless stare.

"Sir, please! Tell me, what was worth getting Lee killed? Tell me!" The Commander lowered his head.

The girl had had enough. She walked right up to her commander, grabbed his collar, and pulled his face to hers. Eyes narrow, she stared the man down, before asking.

"Now, you had better tell me why the hell this file was so damn important, or else I'll do something very unladylike. Tell me the truth."

There was silence for a minute, two minutes, as both parties stared at one another. The commander was the first to relent. He shut his eyes with a sigh.

"If you release me Miss Welrod, I'll explain everything."

The girl lifted her grip, as the commander backed up to his chair and sat down in it. He then motioned for Welrod to sit in the one in front of him. She didn't comply, her arms folded, the ugly stare hadn't yet lifted.

The commander rested his right leg on his left knee and brought his hands together. He looked back at Welrod.

"I'm not who you think I am."

Welrod stood in front of her commander; she didn't know what to say. Her eyes narrowed.

 _I'll allow you to explain yourself, but you had better give me a serious response._

"What do you mean you're not who you say you are?"

The man took a deep breath.

"My name is not Eric Blair. It is a persona I adopted when I was moved to this country. In reality I'm not even British, I am an American." The Commander looked directly into Welrod's eyes, she could see layers of regret and sorrow layered within.

"My true identity: a self-imposed exile known as Clark Winters. I served as security detail for the President of the United States and his family before the Great War." The Commander looked down at his hands, thumbs twiddling, clearly uncomfortable.

"I was found by G&K through a contact of mine, John, I believe you met him at the ball. John is an ex-MI6 operative. He's a good man; he saw the best in me despite my past failures and convinced Griffon High Command to hire me on as an advisor at first, and eventually as a commander."

 _That may explain the conversation the commander had with John, as well as his eagerness to avoid said conversation all together._

"I've been working in Sector 78 for two and a half years. While I have been happy to serve G&K as well as members of the United Kingdom, I have also had my own agenda. The file you retrieved last mission was not a list of Griffon operatives, rather a list of names and current locations of remaining United States high ranking officials and personnel."

Welrod was speechless; she was trying to process all the Commander was telling her. She had many questions to ask him, but only one jumped out at her as important.

"Sir, why were you exiled?"

The Commander shifted in his seat. Welrod could see him swallow. Silence descended on the two individuals. Time slowed down as the commander attempted to stall the inevitable. The girl tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the commander to explain himself. The man looked back at Welrod, and began his story. As she listened, the girl could feel as though the walls were melting away.


	17. Chapter 17: Revelations

**Chapter 17: Revelations**

A bead of sweat descended Clark's left cheek. The man was standing on the veranda of the tenth floor. A cool ocean breeze blew against his face. The sound of waves crashing against the seashore could be heard far below the hotel room. The man turned around and walked back inside, shutting the door behind him. Two other agents were sitting down with a little girl and her mother, trying to keep themselves occupied by playing cards.

The husband was at a meeting on the third floor; he was discussing possible threats to national security.

 _And here I am stuck babysitting, fantastic..._

Clark leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. The girl had won whatever game the group was playing, a fact made apparent by her jumping up and down to thunderous applause. Despite his relatively foul mood, Clark couldn't help but give a bit of a grin.

His earpiece was chattering with all sorts of information; in his position however, it was all white noise. His brief smile was replaced by the blank expression he had held for the entire morning. The man looked at the clock, it was 1:30 pm.

 _The meeting should be ending soon. Good, maybe I can finally get some relief._

When Clark accepted the honor of being a secret service agent, visions of grandeur danced in his head as he viewed himself as the president's personal bodyguard. Cut to several months later, and he's running around holding the coattails of the First Lady as she drags her daughter to the bathroom for the fourth time in an hour.

One of the two agents, by happenstance his superior, got up from the table and approached him. The remaining agent shuffled the deck and dealt another hand, the little girl clapping excitedly.

"Why don't you join us for a round of Crazy Eights? Last time we played you absolutely trounced us! We need your expertise, this little girl is hammering us right now!" The agent had a large grin on her face.

"The only reason I played that game was because I was off duty AND through my second bottle of merlot."

The man's superior laughed. "Whatever you say Clark." The woman turned back to the table, calling for another hand.

The radio chatter that had for a time been playing at a low murmur suddenly exploded into activity.

 _The president must be on the move._

Clark couldn't quite make out what was being said; his earpiece was emitting static, the voices garbled. The man turned to his boss, who had her hand to her ear. The jovial expression on her face hardened into a seriousness that concerned Clark. There had been only two instances where Sarah Wilson had lost her sense of humor, both equally dangerous.

The woman turned back to the other agent, named Tucker, and whispered something in his ear. In unison, the two agents got up from their seats and approached Clark. The man could see the First Lady attending to her daughter, a look of concern on her face.

"We may have a situation." Wilson spoke in a hushed tone, trying to prevent the sound of worry from reaching the little girl who was oblivious to the change in atmosphere.

"We've lost contact with our dock team. Could be just a loss of communication, but something tells me it's bigger than that. The president is being evacuated just in case. We are to get the First Lady and her daughter down to the lobby; a convoy will be there to escort them to the airport."

 _Finally, at least we can get out of this stuffy hotel room._

Tucker left the room to secure the hallway. Sarah was busy collecting files the president had left behind at the hotel room. Clark felt another bead of sweat descend from his forehead, but this time it wasn't from the heat.

Tucker returned from the hallway. "Sir, the hallway is clear." He was halfway inside the door, holding it open with his thigh as he glanced down the corridor. Sarah glanced at the man in the door, giving him a quick nod.

The woman turned to the First Lady, files in hand. "Alright Miss Perry, it's time to go." The First Lady was finishing preparing her daughter, placing a sun hat atop her head. The woman turned to her daughter, giving her a kiss on the forehead, and grabbed her hand. Clark moved for the door, his hand at his side, ready to grab his sidearm if necessary.

Tucker motioned for him to go down the hallway. Clark followed his orders, and moved ahead of the group to secure the elevators. He pressed the button to call the lift, glancing back at the hotel room. Sarah was escorting their precious cargo with Tucker bringing up the rear. His team lead had passed the files off to Tucker.

Clark returned his attention to the elevator. He began impatiently pressing the button over and over, as if it would magically force the elevator to hasten its ascent. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator reached their floor and opened with a ding.

It was then the lights in the hallway flickered once, twice, and went out. The elevator doors were stuck half ajar.

 _Dammit, now is not the time for an electrical outage._

Clark glanced at Sarah, who was biting her lip, deep in thought. This complicated things.

"Alright, new plan. We will take the stairs. Little exercise never hurt anyone right?" Sarah was trying to lighten the mood, her smile brightening the darkened corridor. Clark had known her long enough however, that he could she was beginning to panic. Too many coincidences were occurring in repetition.

Clark took point, leading the group to the stairwell. They began their descent, flashlights drawn and scanning the walls. Several minutes passed in silence, the only sound being their footsteps echoing off of the metal stairs. Clark could hear the little girl beginning to whimper.

They had reached the door to the lobby. Sarah replaced Clark on point duty. She opened the door, glancing back and forth. Through the gap between the woman and the door, Clark could see vacationers and staff mingling about.

Sarah had her hand to her ear. With a nod she looked back at Clark and Tucker.

"Ok, we're good to move." Sarah opened the door wider. Shots rang out in the lobby, bullets impacting the wall next to the door. Vacationers and staff were fleeing in all directions. The woman slammed the door shut and forced the group back.

"This is Wilson, our primary evacuation route has been cut off. We are moving to the secondary extraction point at the top of the hotel." Clark could see Sarah wincing with every word, her breathing was labored.

The little girl that accompanied them was wailing from the din that had erupted just a short time ago. The First Lady was attempting to get her daughter under control.

 _We do not need this right now._

Whatever her mother was telling the girl only made the situation worse, as the girl began slamming her fists against her mother's legs.

Calmly, Sarah ordered Tucker to help the First Lady get her daughter under control. The man nodded and knelt down, attempting to console the child. Meanwhile, Sarah turned to Clark, she could sense he was unfocused.

"This is an emergency situation. We need you focused on the task at hand. Shape up!"

Clark glared back at her, then looked away in frustration. Sarah looked at the man and sighed.

"Now, take point."

Clark followed his orders and led the group back up the way they came. The gunfire and shrieks of terror in the lobby had ceased, however the radio chatter had not. If anything the noise increased. As they moved up the stairs, they could hear glass shattering on the lower levels. They were halfway up the hotel when suddenly the lights flickered back on.

 _That's not good._

With the power back, whoever was trying to assault their group could freely use the elevators to beat them to the rooftop.

Sarah realized this too. "Ok people, we got this. Let's pick up the pace." Clark noticed despite her enthusiasm, she was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Something was wrong.

"Just a few more floors, come on little one." Tucker was practically pulling the little girl up the stairwell, her mother struggling to stay ahead of the man. Extremely winded, the group approached the thirtieth floor.

"Alright Tucker, clear the hallway ahead." Sarah was holding her side, a dark stain was beginning to grow on her suit.

The man returned the little girl to her mother, and moved for the door, cautiously with his hand at his holster.

 _This is taking too long. Hurry up dammit._

Tucker took a step back, and took a deep breath. He rushed the door, opening it with a kick. The man sprinted into the hallway, his gun drawn.

The man stopped midway, and pivoted, attempting to retreat back through the door. However, Clark had moved into the doorframe to follow, and was blocking the man's escape. Gunshots were heard as Tucker fell back into the stairwell, collapsing into Clark, knocking him to the ground. Tucker was hit multiple times in the chest; he was dead before the two hit the ground.

Sarah slammed the door shut. Clark threw his comrade off of him, the man's suit now covered in Tucker's blood.

 _What have I done...?_

Sarah, trying to reassure a panicking First Lady, turned to Clark, who had now picked himself off the ground and was staring at his dead companion in shock.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Clark stood motionless, as silent as he had been coming up the stairs.

Sarah turned back to the First Lady, who was hugging her daughter.

"Don't worry Miss, we will figure something out."

Sarah began to look for some other way to get to the roof. She remembered that on the 29th floor there was a utility ladder one could take to the rooftop.

"Ok, Miss Perry here's what we do. There's a utility ladder one floor below us. We are going to climb that to the rooftop! Go!" The woman urged the First Lady and her daughter back down the stairs.

Clark remained behind, as white as the corpse that lay in front of him. Sarah ran back and grabbed the man by the collar.

"I have two civilians to keep track of, don't make me hold your hand too. Now sit tight and cover our retreat."

 _I may have failed him, but I won't fail the others._

Clark snapped out of his daze and unholstered his weapon. Sarah pushed past him as he slowly backed away from the door down the steps. He aimed his pistol at where the enemies would soon be pouring out of. The door was kicked in by a man in combat fatigue. A quick shot to his chest downed the assailant. Another soldier followed, only to be gunned down by Clark.

The man glanced over his shoulder, peering down at the three girls. Sarah kicked the door in and poked her head out, looking left and right. She motioned for the others to follow her in.

Another man ran to the door; Clark took aim and was about to fire, only to see Sarah gun the man down for him. She was leaning halfway through the door with her weapon drawn.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun!"

Clark turned around and rushed down the stairs and through the door, entering the 29th floor corridor. He led the way to the window, outside of which was a scaffolding, leading to the utility ladder. Clark forced open the window and checked his corners.

"Clear."

He glanced back inside the corridor. Sarah was motioning for Clark to take point, as she continued to fire upon their assailants. The man hustled up the ladder, as the First Lady, with her daughter clinging to her mother's shoulders, followed. They reached the top, and Clark moved to block the door to the stairwell before the enemy realized what had happened. He braced himself against it; looking behind him he could see his partner as well as the two civilians had ascended the ladder.

Sarah helped the First Lady and daughter into the helicopter, handing the woman the documents she accrued from the hotel room. The vehicle had begun to initiate its takeoff sequence.

Clark glanced at his team lead. She was incredibly pale. The woman looked at the door.

"We need to hold these bastards back until the helicopter leaves." Sarah winced as she spoke. Her wound was beginning to take its toll. The woman stumbled over to a generator and took cover, her sights set on the door Clark was bracing.

Behind him, Clark could hear footsteps running up the stairs. Something slammed against the door. Muffled voices could be heard as another slam occurred.

"Clark, on my go, I want you to dive to your left." Clark nodded, feeling a third slam resonate through the steel door.

"Now!"

Clark rolled to his left as the door burst open. He could see the lead assailants fall as Sarah opened up on them. Clark raised his own weapon, firing clip after clip into the oncoming horde. The man retreated to a generator opposite his boss. He could feel the wind generated from the helicopter's blades pick up as the vehicle started up. The man grabbed another clip from his belt.

 _Only two left._

"I'm out!" Sarah called out to her partner, who tossed her his second to last magazine.

"Last mag, Boss!"

The helicopter was beginning to pull away; the enemy force once flowing onto the roof now only a trickle. Clark loaded his last clip, firing at the few remaining hostiles. He could feel the wind beginning to die down, the sound of the helicopter's engine beginning to fade into the distance.

With a thud, the last enemy tumbled to the ground. Clark let out a sigh of exhaustion. He turned to Sarah; the woman had collapsed, her sidearm resting on the ground next to her. Clark ran up to the woman, attempting to help her to her feet.

"Come on boss, we got to get to the secondary exfiltration zone." The man attempted to lift her, only for the woman to let out a gasp in pain. Clark set Sarah back down.

The woman shook her head. "Don't think so Clark. I'm staying here." She lifted her hand, the one covering her wound, showing the wet crimson stain that now covered it.

Sarah looked up at Clark. "Did we do it?" The woman gave her signature grin.

"Yes boss, we got the documents to a secure location."

The woman shook her head, attempting to laugh, though the action made her cough up a spurt of blood.

"No, the First Lady, her daughter…"

The man lowered his head in shame, realizing what he had just said.

"Yea… they're safe too."

The woman smiled again. "You have so much to learn kid. Though, I think I have enough strength left to teach you one more lesson."

Sarah was fading. She lifted her bloodstained hand to Clark's cheek, and uttered her final words.

"Be human."


	18. Chapter 18: Acceptance

**Chapter 18: Acceptance**

The room was silent for a while. Welrod opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was absolutely dumbfounded. She couldn't tell if she was more surprised with his story, or the fact he trusted her with it.

 _Commander…_

The sun had risen a good distance into the sky; it was midmorning. Activity could be heard in the halls as the base came to life. T-Dolls were milling about, ready to perform their daily duties. The commander continued, wrapping up his story.

"After the events of that day, I fled the United States, and assumed the identity of Eric Blair. I arrived in England and proceeded to attempt to drink myself to death. Every night I would walk from my crumbling apartment, to the bar down the street to drown my sorrows. I would then return the following morning, to wallow in self-pity."

The commander had his head down, still brooding, but Welrod could sense a shift in tone with his next sentence.

"This continued for several months. I woke up one morning, after one of my binges, and sitting next to me in the bar was John. Despite my horrific, unshaven appearance he recognized me."

For the first time in ages, the commander gave a little bit of a grin. While Welrod was still concerned, seeing the Commander smile once more put her mind at ease a little.

The commander continued: "John took me in, and tried to get me back on my feet. I'll admit, I didn't make it easy for him, but bless the man for not giving up on me. He was the one to connect me with Mr. Krueger. I owe h-him my life f-for that."

Clark was starting to get emotional, so Welrod saw it fit to get him back on topic.

"So this whole persona, it's just…"

The man nodded his head.

"Eric Blair serves as both a disguise, in order to help me fit into my adopted country, and an outlet for me to make up for my past. The staunch and unphased champion, standing fearlessly atop the wall, bullets flying around him as he encouraged his men to fight on."

The man stood up, and turned back to the window, placing his arms behind his back.

"Those moments I become Commander Blair allow me to forget my failures, and the harm I caused so many innocents."

The tone shifted again, the Commander's voice once again solemn. Clark turned back to Welrod; the girl could see tears in his eyes.

"But I haven't really changed have I? I'm still the same man who failed his country without emotion, without empathy. Tonight your team sustained heavy casualties; and all I cared about was my own agenda: a set of names I've never met to be used to console myself on my past failures. I sat there silent as you plead your case. I feel ashamed to even call myself "commander.""

The man was shaking; he was doing everything in his power to not break down.

"Despite all my efforts, Agent Clark still resides inside my very being, and the man you witnessed tonight is him at his worst."

Welrod looked down at her feet, lost in thought. "Uncomfortable" would be an apt word to describe her condition.

 _What can I say to him? I can't blame him for his past, yet he needs to find a way to move on. As much as he wants to hold onto this Blair character, I feel he will never forgive himself if he cannot come to terms with his true self._

"I know you cannot forgive me, and you shouldn't. I just hope you understand why I am who I am." The Commander was looking at Welrod, eyes pleading to whatever humanity was programmed into her.

The girl took a deep breath.

"Sir, you're right. I cannot forgive you for your actions and statements this evening, nor can the members of my echelon. My team put their lives on the line for the sake of the mission. Grizzly lost her legs, and Lee sacrificed her life so your agenda could be achieved. You ignored that selflessness."

The commander nodded his head, sadness overtaking him as he turned back to the window.

"But." Clark's head glanced back at the girl, a questioning look being thrown at her.

"I want you to know that the you, the TRUE you, is Eric Blair. Only Commander Blair would have the courage to admit his failures. Only Commander Blair would throw himself at the mercy of his subordinates, knowing full well what consequences could arise."

The girl looked back up and gave the commander a sweet smile.

"Only Eric Blair would trust someone with his past. That is something only a gentleman could do, and I commend you for that"

The commander returned the smile, and turned around. The man still looked a little shaken, but most of his composure had returned.

"Thank you, Miss Welrod, you do me a great honor. I hope I can live up to your expectations and stay in your good graces." The man looked at his watch, shuddering a little.

"Well, Commander Blair just missed his morning conference call with Mr. Krueger. I think he'll understand don't you?" The two chuckled a bit as Clark approached Welrod.

The man placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes.

"Now that you have assisted one poor soul, I think another might need your attention. You're right, Miss WA2000 is probably in a horrible state right now. However, if you could make a worthless soul like me feel even the slightest bit better about himself, then assisting Miss WA2000 should be a simple undertaking."

 _Well I don't know about that Sir, but I'll give it a shot._

The commander let go of Welrod and gave her a little wave.

"Now, hop to it! Your echelon needs their team lead." Welrod could tell Eric Blair had returned; Agent Clark now buried within the commander's subconscious.

 _I hope it remains that way. Commander Blair is a much more charming individual._

With a swift nod, Welrod turned and exited the office, jogging through the cramped corridors towards the echelon dormitory.


	19. Chapter 19: A Rook, Queen, and Knight

**Chapter 19: A Rook, Queen, and Knight**

Welrod forced open the door to Echelon 3's dormitory, sweat pouring down her face from both anxiety, and the sprint from the commander's office to her current location. The room was empty.

 _Grizzly and Calico must still be in the infirmary. WA must have joined up with them._

As the girl turned to leave however, she heard a sniffle echo from the corner of the room. A lump of blankets was shifting up and down at an irregular cadence. The pile of cloth was sitting atop WA2000's bed.

 _Well, that surely answers one question._

Welrod approached the heaving mass, taking care not to make any excess noise. The girl moved to the bed and sat down next to what she assumed to be WA2000. The mass of blankets stopped; the being writhing feeling the presence of another nearby. A head wriggled its way out of the mass of cloth and wool; it indeed was WA2000.

The girl was as far from composed as Welrod had ever seen. WA2000's eyes were bloodshot, her was nose running, and the girl's lips were quivering. She glanced at Welrod in silence, then turned away, throwing the blankets over her head once more.

"You're the last person I even want to be near right now. Get the hell away from me."

WA2000's words cut Welrod to the core, but she remained where she was. It was not only her duty as an echelon lead, but as a friend, to console her companion in her time of need, whether she needed it or not.

The two sat in silence for a while, the mass of blankets continuing its strange dance. After a while, Welrod broke the stalemate, and tried to speak with her friend.

"WA2000, I want to apologize for what happened last night. I put you in an unfair position that must have hurt you. I cannot imagine how you could be feeling right now."

WA2000 threw the blankets off herself, her face twisted with fury, frustration, and sadness.

"No, you don't know how I feel. I had to shoot my teammate in the back! Why? You didn't have the strength to do it yourself! This all happened because YOU took too long. Lee died because of YOU!"

The girl was facing Welrod, her fists balled ready to throw a punch. Welrod wouldn't have blamed her if she did take a shot at her.

"Lee will be back soon. IOP just needs to relink her memory to a new body."

This seemed to unhinge what was already a very unstable T-Doll.

"Is that really the same Lee? Our Lee died on the field! I saw her collapse! I shot her in the back! She may have the same voice, same mannerisms, and the same prowess with a rifle as Lee, but she is NOT the same. YOU may be able to accept her death so easily, but I can't!"

WA2000 buried her head in her hands; to see her this broken up about what happened dug into Welrod like the glass from the warehouse. The girl attempted to reach for her companion's hand, but it was slapped away in a fury. The two remained silent again, the only sounds being a grieving WA2000, and the muffled voices of T-Dolls outside going about their duties.

"I never hated her."

This time WA2000 broke the silence. Welrod glanced at her; the girl had lifted her head up and was staring at Lee's bed.

"I never hated her. No matter how many times we bickered, I always respected her for the marksman she was… and the friend she was." The girl's lip quivered a bit. Welrod remained silent.

"I never hated Lee, nor Grizzly, nor Calico." She then looked at Welrod.

"Not even you."

 _All this time, you've been trying to impress us, because you don't want to disappoint us?_

"I let Lee down. I could have done more to help. I missed shots I shouldn't have. I let a stupid helicopter prevent me from ending her suffering sooner."

WA2000 looked at her feet; a teardrop or two landed on the ground as she hung her head.

"I wish I had the chance to tell Lee…"

"Tell me what?"

The two girls whirled around, Welrod pulled her pistol while WA2000 armed herself with one of the frying pans Calico had left out yesterday morning. Before them stood Lee-Enfield, fresh from the IOP facility. Welrod holstered her weapon, and WA2000 dropped the pan with a clang.

 _That was quick, the commander must have called in a few favors to expedite the process. Though saving that research probably helped too._

"So, from the rumors circulating around the facility, I heard we had quite an evening last night. I had hoped you two would tell me what happened." Lee looked at the two girls with a meek smile. Something was bothering the British rifle.

"Miss Lee, it is great to see you again. WA2000 and I have been worried sick." Welrod returned Lee's gesture, but the girl continued.

"It's a pleasure to see you again. However, you didn't answer my question Welrod; what happened last night? The only way I wouldn't remember a combat sortie was if I perished."

Welrod bit her lip. Should she really tell her what happened, this soon?

"It w-was me wasn't it?" Welrod looked up. Lee Enfield had her head down; she was beginning to get emotional.

"I froze up, again didn't I? The mission was almost compromised because of me. All of those stares as I entered the facility… it all makes sense now." 

"Lee, that's not…" WA2000 was trying to interrupt Lee, but the woman continued.

"No, this has happened before. After the mission in Sector 67, where I missed the lead vehicle in the SF convoy, leading to both myself and Calico being vaporized by a Manticore." Tears were beginning to flow off her face, something Welrod never expected to see from a normally well composed individual.

"There was the recon mission in Sector 52 where I froze up; Calico getting both her arms blown off, and myself ending up face down in some ruined city. Each and every time I come back I get these looks; so again, it was because of me wasn't it?"

"Lee…" Welrod wanted to say something along the lines of if she really were the cause of the mission's issues, she would have been told, however WA2000 beat her to the punch.

"You saved the mission." Welrod and Lee looked at the girl, who was shaking a little. "You sacrificed yourself so that we could escape. Those stares weren't judgmental; we are all proud to call you a teammate."

Lee's emotions seemed to ease a little, although her face hardened as she asked the next question.

"How did I die?" Welrod opened her mouth to answer, but WA2000 beat her to the punch.

"Welrod had to shoot your core. To p-prevent you from being captured. It w-was not easy for…"

Welrod cut her off. "No Lee, I was too weak to do what needed to be done. WA2000 took it upon herself to carry my burden."

Lee's face softened again as she looked at WA2000. "Oh… WA2000 I'm so sorry, that must have been awful." The woman approached the girl, embracing her. "That was an incredibly brave action on your part."

Lee began stroking the girl's hair. Welrod could tell from WA2000's uneven breathing that she had broken down again.

Lee looked at Welrod. "I'm sure Miss Welrod appreciates your assistance."

Welrod lowered her head, she was still ashamed of her actions last night. After a short while, she looked up at the two girls, who were now motioning for her to join their group hug. Smiling, Welrod took the offer, and the three teammates stood reunited. They remained there for a good time, until Lee broke the silence.

"Now, how many shots did it take you WA2000?" Lee shared a bit of her cheeky grin only used for occasions where she had to lighten everyone's spirits.

"One."

Lee looked at the girl, eyebrow raised.

"Ok, maybe two." Welrod now turned to look at WA2000, who had begun blushing.

"Ok fine! It was six shots."

"Six shots?! Were you trying to miss me?!" Lee Enfield's laugh resonated off the walls of the dorm.

"Hey! I was on a moving helicopter. You try and hit a target from a moving vehicle. It would take you at least seven tries!" WA2000 attempted to look put out, however upon seeing her friends laughing at one another, she too joined in on the amusement.

"Hey, at least you weren't the one who couldn't hit the GIANT MANTICORE sitting practically three feet in front of her." Lee's attempt at humor was appreciated by her friends, who let out an encore of jovial laughter.

"You're right. Hey, did you ever find out how you ended up face planted on the pavement in that back alley in Sector 52?" WA2000 asked with a cheeky grin on her face; a true rarity, but certainly appreciated.

"Not sure, when I asked the commander about it, he grimaced and walked away!" Lee and WA2000 were rolling with laughter. The three girls again embraced one another, sinking to the ground, each face beaming with happiness.

There was a knock at the door; Kalina had arrived.

"Ladies I'm happy to announce that Grizzly is in good enough condition for her to have visitors, I went ahead and told her you were on your way."

With a smile, Kalina walked off, a stack of combat sorties clutched to her chest. No sooner had she left did the three girls rush the door; it was time for the entire echelon to reunite.


	20. Chapter 20: Family

**Chapter 20: Family**

The sound of their footsteps echoed through the halls, thundering over the din of other T-Dolls milling about the facility. The three girls rounded the corner in front of them, and screeched to a halt inside the repair facility.

It was a large room, white walled with fluorescent ceiling lighting, housing four unit repair stations, with a fifth being built to accommodate an entire echelon at a time. Each station consisted of a repair bench, steel work table, and a host of tools ranging from welding equipment, to the simple screwdriver. It was here Sector 78's engineers worked their magic in order to save the Dolls they protected them on a daily basis. For as busy as the compound was, only one station, number four, was in use. It was here the girls found their two remaining echelon members.

Welrod could see Grizzly lying motionless on the work table, her replacement legs structurally complete, however she was missing the outer layer of skin which fooled so many a passerby. The girl also noticed the green haired member of their echelon nearby. Calico, who was sitting at Grizzly's side, turned around to observe the entourage that had just disturbed the peacefulness of the facility.

The girl rose from her seat and aggressively approached Welrod. Pulling the girl to her, Calico emitted what sounded like a mixture of a growl and a groan.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Calico had her teeth barred, eyes brimming with fire.

"I uh, I-"Welrod tried to answer her friend, but unlike her other teammates, was caught completely off guard by Calico's aggressiveness.

"Well, are you going to say something, or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

Calico brought Welrod closer, enough to feel the breath exhuming from the girl's nostrils. Then, something changed, Calico's face lightened, her grip loosened, and a laugh replaced the growl from earlier.

"Boy your majesty, you should have seen the look on your face! Talk about stick up your, how would you Brits call it? Right! 'Arse!'" Calico was trying to keep herself from doubling over from laughter.

 _What the bloody hell is going on?_

Calico had already moved onto the next girl, Lee.

"Lee it's so good to see you! What you did last night during the mission was totally badass, I wish I had it taped… or maybe not!" The girl gave her friend a hug, which was accepted by Lee, although the look of shock she shared with Welrod hadn't lifted.

"And WA-Chan, you were a rock star last night! Looks like all that training paid off, Lee certainly felt it!" Silence gripped the room as everyone in unison turned to Lee-Enfield.

"Too soon?" Calico had a sheepish grin on her face.

"Maybe a little." Lee-Enfield was rubbing the back of her neck, but she still had a smile on her face.

Welrod breathed a sigh of relief, as she turned to the bed; Grizzly was awake.

Calico tilted her head towards Grizzly. "Doc said Grizzly will be right as rain by tomorrow. Ain't that right G-dog?"

"Yup." Grizzly threw her arm in the air with a thumbs up, however the rest of her body remained attached to the table.

Calico looked at WA2000 and Lee. "Now, how about you two go and talk with our dear biker pal, she's been dying to speak to someone without green hair or a scary white mask!" The two girls walked over to the table and began chatting away with their friend. Calico turned to Welrod.

"That just leaves you and me. If I could speak with you privately?" Calico had her arms folded; Welrod couldn't read her emotions.

 _Alright, here we go._

"Absolutely."

The two girls walked outside into the corridor, and checked to see if anyone was around. After a brief glance, Calico initiated the conversation.

"I've had a lot of time to think about what happened last night; half of me wanted to clock you upside the head, the other half..." The girl was leaning against the corridor wall; Welrod could see the wheels in her head turning as she attempted to pick out the right words to say.

"Ya know, I want to just come out and say, what you pulled out there wasn't cool. I don't know what it was for, and I really don't care. What I do care about are the friends who paid for your little side mission. Regardless of outcome, you hurt them Welrod. While they may forgive and forget, I'll forgive you, but I won't ever forget." The words tore Welrod up inside, the guilt of what she did returning.

"However." Welrod looked up at Calico, who had a slight smile on her face.

"I know it's tough to be a leader, and sometimes you have to make a judgement call. I don't envy your position." For some reason, Welrod detected a change in tone as Calico uttered those last words.

"There will be times like last night where the right choice isn't easy. After thinking about it for a long time, and a little convincing from Grizzly, I believe given what was happening, you made the right call."

Calico placed both of her hands on Welrod's shoulders.

"At the same time, you wouldn't have had to make that call if you didn't get yourself into trouble in the first place. You thought you had to carry the burden yourself."

Calico brought Welrod forward in an embrace.

"But, you don't have to do this alone. Myself, Lee, Grizzly and WA, your family, are with you every step of the way. All we ask in return, is that for you to stick with us too."

Welrod, who up until this point had been keeping herself composed, finally let her emotions take over, releasing all the angst, frustration, and sadness she had kept inside her since that previous evening.

The two girls remained where they were, in silence, as time flowed around them. Calico spoke first.

"Come on your majesty, you're gonna mess my hair up, don't make me all weepy now!"

Welrod gave her eyes a wipe, and showed as much of a smile as she could, although her lips were trembling quite substantially.

"There's our team lead! Now, let's get back to the others; G-dog probably wants to say hi." With a couple slaps on the back, Calico led Welrod through the doors.

The two returned to the repair station, seeing the three girls occupying it talking about Grizzly's "sick new wheels." Grizzly propped herself up as she saw Welrod approach.

"No, no, not you too. I've already had one girl weeping for me I don't need another." Welrod wiped her eyes again, and gave Grizzly the signature bear hug she was so used to giving.

"Grizzly I want to apologize for-"Grizzly raised her hand to cut her off.

"Look, you don't need to tell me. All I ask is you give me that bike race I wanted over two months ago." Welrod smiled.

"You'll have that duel Miss."

Welrod felt weight being added as the remaining three girls piled onto one another. Welrod could scarcely breathe as the weight of her company squeezed the life out of her. She didn't mind though; she was with her family, and she would never fail them again.


	21. Chapter 21: Race of the Century

**Chapter 21: Race of the Century**

"Are you certain you are up for this challenge?"

Welrod looked at Grizzly, concerned. Despite her jovial appearance, Grizzly could not hide the discomfort she was in. It had only been two days since the last mission, and the girl was still not quite used to her "new set of wheels," constantly giving them a shake as if her body had not realized they were there. Grizzly looked at Welrod with a smile.

"You kidding? I have been waiting for over two months to see you eat my dust! Besides, you don't need legs to drive!"

Grizzly let out a laugh. Ever since the day Welrod joined Echelon 3, Grizzly had been pushing to face off against Welrod in a motor-cross duel for the ages. After the events of the night operation, Welrod deemed it time to fulfill her promise.

 _I do not believe that is entirely true._

Welrod opened her mouth, to point out the obvious, but Grizzly interrupted her.

"Don't think about it." She gave Welrod a pat on the shoulder, and with that the girl sauntered over to her bike, parked in one of the repair garages behind them.

Grizzly used most of her income on her prized possession: a 1978 Harley-Davidson XL-1000. This antique was one of a few chosen sportsters to carry the honor of the company's 75th anniversary. The bike itself was jet black, with gold striping and gold-tinted cast wheels. The seat was of genuine leather, giving the bike an even more regal appeal. That year was also the first time a new electronic ignition system was implemented into the bike's design, to replace the rudimentary points and coil system.

 _You know, I wonder if the commander fully grasps how many parts are required to keep that thing operational?_

With a sigh, Welrod walked over to her own motorcycle: the Norton Commando. This machine was one of the last great bikes of British manufacturing. It won the "Machine of the Year" five consecutive years in a row, an award unmatched by other vehicles of its type. The main draw to this motorcycle was its revolutionary framework which reduced engine vibrations, a known issue among a large portion of other bikes at the time. The girl's machine was jet black like Grizzly's but had a chrome finish and silver striping to match. It also sported a little Union Jack on its side, a decal added by Welrod to give the bike even more class.

Welrod placed her hand on the black leather seat; despite her concern for the long-distance travel from London, the bike itself held up well against the elements. With a grin, the girl mounted the motorcycle, inserted, and turned the key. The howl of the air-cooled OHV twin-parallel engine roared in Welrod's ears as she removed the kickstand and taxied her motorcycle into position at the front gate of the facility. As she came to a stop, the girl looked back to see Grizzly rev her engine a few times, remove her kickstand, and drive over to join her, an enormous smile plastered across her face.

 _I don't think I've ever seen her this pleased._

Welrod could hear an oncoming vehicle in the distance, as well as repeated honking. As she looked to her left, she saw the three remaining girls in her echelon driving the base's Land Rover to meet the two racers. Welrod could see Lee at the wheel, driving rather passively, as they pulled up to the front gate.

"Fancy day for a Sunday drive?" Lee was smiling as she parked next to Grizzly.

"Alright, now that we're all here let's go over the plan one more time." Welrod pulled the notes she had taken during the morning briefing out of her back pocket. She sat up in the seat and cleared her throat.

"Right, today is a search and destroy mission…"

"Yes!" Calico yelled ecstatically from the back seat of the Land Rover.

"Anyway… Our mission priority is the elimination of three Manticore walking tanks spotted near Sector 57. This troupe of vehicles is accompanied by a squadron of Jaegers. Grizzly and I will scout ahead to find the target. You three will stay within a half mile radius of our location. Once we confirm the targets' location, Grizzly and I will radio in and await your arrival. All clear?"

Welrod looked up from her notes, as she panned over each girl she could see each give a sign of acknowledgement, ranging from a thumbs up from Grizzly, to a shrug from WA2000.

"Ok then, let's get to it! Oh, and keep in mind: after the events of two days ago, the Commander will be keeping a close eye on us."

"So, don't disappoint." The echelon simultaneously pulled their weapons on the voice, who was their laughing commanding officer.

 _How does he keep doing that?_

"Whoa now, don't shoot the CO, that'd leave Kalina in charge, and we all know how much she'd love that!" The Commander continued laughing, as the other girls began to nervously join in on the uproar.

"Anyway," The Commander said, wiping a tear from his eye, "I have faith you five will return victorious, now show them what you got chaps!" With a little salute, the commander walked off towards the operation headquarters.

"Alright ladies, you heard the man, let's blow shit up!" Calico raised her fist in the air, as Grizzly revved her engine.

The girl looked at Welrod.

"You ready to lose, Tommy?" Grizzly wore a wicked grin across your face.

"In your dreams, yankee." Welrod retorted, as the two in unison stomped on their accelerators and sped off into the distance.


	22. Chapter 22: The Five O

**Chapter 22: The Five O**

The air howled in Welrod's ears, drowning out the sound of her motorcycle as she thundered down route M80. In her sights was the taillight of Grizzly's bike, just a few meters in front of her. She was sitting right behind her opponent, letting aerodynamics work its magic, preparing to slingshot herself around and in front of Grizzly. Suddenly, the girl in front of her tossed something over her shoulder, the hazard landing right in front of Welrod's bike, who swerved to avoid the hazard, barely missing the yellow obstruction.

"Was… was that a bloody banana peel?!" Welrod yelled into her earphone.

"No, it was just a regular banana peel!" Grizzly cheekily replied, as the two rounded another bend in the road, leaning into the turn in order to keep their balance.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I could have crashed! Calico, isn't this illegal?" Welrod screamed as she dodged a civilian vehicle out for a casual drive.

"What, the fact you two are going over 100 km/hr on the interstate or Grizzly throwing the banana peel over her shoulder?" Calico's voice reeked of boredom.

"Yes!" Welrod replied as she moved to dodge another oncoming vehicle.

"Hmm… seems fine to me." Welrod imagined the cheeky grin growing on the girl's face. "Makes things interesting you know? Certainly more interesting than the grandmother behind the wheel next to me! Lee we can go faster than 40 km/hr!"

 _Fine then, the gloves are coming off now Grizzly, the Duchess is out for blood._

Welrod repositioned herself behind the bike in front of her; she was going to give the slingshot another attempt. Just as she was about to pull off the maneuver, the commander broke radio silence.

"Not that I want to interrupt the race of the century ladies, but be warned: there is a civilian checkpoint near Cumbernauld half a click from your current location. I advise you avoid contact with the authorities."

Welrod looked at her speedometer: 185 km/hr.

"I'm sorry Sir, I'm afraid that won't be an option."

Welrod bit her lip; the checkpoint was approaching fast. Three cars were parked on the side of the road; two men were standing next to them, one of which held something resembling a weapon. Before she could make out exactly what it was, the two girls had passed the startled police officers who were just beginning to sit down to mid-afternoon tea. Welrod looked over her shoulder; the figures growing smaller in the distance were scrambling to enter their vehicles.

 _Maybe we can outrun them._

The girl turned her head back to the road in front of her, immediately swerving to dodge a car that had begun merging over into her lane.

 _Too close._

Despite her evasive maneuvers, Welrod had remained right behind her opponent. Once more, the girl slid into Grizzly's slipstream, and finally performed the slingshot maneuver, throwing her ahead of the American T-doll. As Welrod passed the girl, she could see Grizzly's face twisted in shock, only to be overtaken by a wicked grin as she flipped a switch. Blue flame erupted from XL-1000's exhaust pipes as Grizzly shot ahead and retook the lead.

 _Nitrous? So that's what you've been spending your allowance on! You cheeky bastard!_

Before Welrod could let out words of exasperation at her teammate, the girl noticed flashing blue and red lights in her side-view mirrors. Three pursuit vehicles were approaching the two riders at a breakneck pace. One of the three vehicles accelerated ahead of the others, pulling alongside the two T-dolls.

"This is the CPD, pull over to the side of the road immediately!" A voice echoed over the squad car's megaphone.

Welrod saw Grizzly turn in her seat and flash the police a very unladylike hand signal, the same wolfish grin plastered across her face.

 _Yes, Grizzly, let's antagonize the public further._

The squad car advanced on the two T-Dolls moving into a position to side swipe them. As the car veered into their path, both Grizzly and Welrod hit the brakes, letting the squad car pass in front of them. It slammed into the side of the highway guardrail, shoving the front right wheel into the axel, causing the car to flip end over end through the air, crashing down the highway like a tumbleweed across the desert. Each tumble caused large chunks of the squad car's superstructure to give way, reducing the vehicle to merely a shell as it slowed down. The vehicle landed on its roof, now spinning like a top, eventually sliding to a stop, the sound of screeching metal cut through the din of Welrod's engine.

While the two may have avoided their first threat, the two remaining cars, who had not slowed down, sped ahead of them, moving directly into their path. As Welrod's thoughts raced about what to do next, one of the cars deployed a spike strip from the back, which hurtled its way towards the girl. Gathering her strength, she crouched in the seat of the bike, waiting for the precise moment to make her move. When the strip was but mere meters away, she shifted her weight, lifting the wheels of the bike up and over the spike strip, landing safely on the other side.

There was no time for celebration though, as the second squad car had stepped on the brakes, almost causing Welrod to slam into it. She passed the vehicle, seeing it pull in directly behind her. The commander's voice shot through her earpiece.

"Welrod, we are detecting a massive energy surge coming from that squad car. Possible EMP."

In the 2030's, law enforcement was granted a limited number of squad cars equipped with the ability to fire a small electromagnetic pulse, just enough to fry the systems of a suspect's vehicle. Until now, it had never been used against a fleeing fugitive.

 _Shit._

Thinking fast, Welrod removed her pistols from their holsters, taking aim at the front headlights of the squad car, gambling the airbag sensors were hidden behind the lights. The girl swiveled around in her seat, firing both pistols, one at each headlight. Her gamble paid off, as the squad car's airbag deployed, panicking the driver enough for him to roll the vehicle. Welrod watched as the car tumbled out of line as it rolled three times before coming to a stop.

Just then, a helicopter soared overhead, attempting to drop a spike strip in front of Grizzly, who with a quick swerve, dodged it. The air pursuit vehicle kept pace with the two T-Dolls, but did not drop any more obstructions. Welrod saw the remaining squad car begin to decelerate; another EMP? However, as she passed the car, it continued to slow down, the vehicle disappearing from view shortly thereafter.

"Looks like they're giving up! Nice moves Welrod, but I'm still winning!" Grizzly's cheerful voice spoke up over the sound of roaring wind.

"Not yet they aren't. Ladies, you have a roadblock ahead. I can get you off the main road, but you need to find a way to get passed it first." The Commander spoke again, his words wracked with concern.

Welrod looked ahead, spotting the line of squad cars parked in a line across the road. There were also two wooden barricades set up intermittently between the cars. A flatbed truck was off to the side of the road, its bed slightly raised. The helicopter had pulled ahead of the T-Dolls, setting up above and behind the roadblock. The bay door opened, revealing a man with a sniper rifle poised to shoot the wheels out from under them. Shots from the rifle, though inaccurate, did cause the two girls to take evasive maneuvers. One bullet managed to narrowly miss Welrod's head, grazing her left cheek.

 _Lucky shot._

"Grizzly, we are going to aim for the barricades. We can slide under them and pass through the blockade!" Welrod yelled through her earpiece.

"You got it boss!"

Grizzly reached the barricade first. The girl carefully shifted her weight, bringing the back wheel in parallel with the front. Grizzly slid under the barricade, scraping the pavement under her and leaving a trail of sparks. Her hair skimming the underside of the blockade, and her knee mere centimeters from the pavement below. While the girl was able to avoid the road block, the officers noted their weakness, and moved their squad cars accordingly, removing any ability for Welrod to perform the same maneuver.

 _Piss, now what?_

Welrod looked at the flatbed truck. It would have to do. The girl swerved to the side of the road, the unpaved asphalt causing her bike to struggle to maintain its grip. She slotted in behind the truck, and rode up the flatbed. She caught air and soared over the blockade, right towards the helicopter. Welrod flew through the cargo bay of the helicopter, the crew looking on in shock as she gave them all a "V for Victory" sign, and landed directly in front of Grizzly who was trying to pick her speed back up again on the other side.

"Well done Miss Welrod! I dare say you put on quite a show," the commander's voice jovially called out over her earpiece, "you should see a side road coming up that should get you off the grid."

"But Sir, what about those officers?" Her adrenaline now dying down, Welrod realized how wide their path of destruction was.

"You let me handle that, it's good of you to be concerned, it's what separates us from Sangvis. For now get to the rendezvous point."

Welrod made her escape, with Grizzly nipping at her heels, merging off the highway onto a back road towards Sangvis held territory. The girl looked at her map. The abandoned factory where the echelon was to rendezvous was approaching fast, its funnels peeking just over the treetops. The two girls busted through the locked front gates and slowed to a stop in front of the foundry doors. Welrod turned her motorcycle off, and dismounted. She was immediately lifted into the air by Grizzly who had her grasped in a bear hug.

"Holy shit that was awesome! Those cops didn't know what hit them! I submit to your greatness!" The girl let go of Welrod, dropping to her knees and bowing before the Duchess, who gave a little curtsy in reply.

"'Twas a great battle, one that will be remembered throughout the ages."

Welrod could hear laughter over the earpiece; it was Calico losing her mind.

"Welrod, where did you learn that sign? That's quite indecent of you!" Calico's voice, barely audible over the cacophony behind her, rung in the girl's ear.

"It's V for Victory! I thought you Americans would know that, what with Churchill and World War Two and all that?"

The laughter only intensified.

"...I did it the wrong way didn't I?"

Calico, WA2000, Lee, Grizzly, even the Commander, we're all rolling with laughter at Welrod's simple mistake.

The girl, embarrassed, tried to let out a retort, but couldn't stop herself from laughing at her own misfortune.

"Well, you may have to teach me some more "orthodox" signs later. How, far are you ladies out?"

The laughter stopped as silence gripped the voice channel. They were receiving a call from another frequency.

"It may be a minute." Lee-Enfield's voice spoke up.

"How long is a 'minute'?"


	23. Chapter 23: Ambush

**Chapter 23: Ambush**

It had been several hours since the two T-dolls had arrived at the rendezvous point. Grizzly and Welrod propped themselves up against a tree, letting their heads rest on the hardened bark. The grass was still damp from the brief rainfall that had struck the area. The sky was turning orange as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. Welrod looked at her watch.

 _It's nearly 6:00 pm. I hope those three are almost here._

The commander had assigned the three other dolls, Calico, Lee-Enfield, and WA2000 to assist the injured human police officers who were caught in the wake of Welrod and Grizzly's motorcycle race. Lee was happy to report that the officers were not physically worse for wear: the worst victim suffered only minor bruising. Although, she believed the officer's pride had been marred beyond repair.

Welrod let out a sigh as she looked up at the cloud streaked sky.

 _Well, at least it is a beautiful evening._

"I want a rematch." Welrod looked over at Grizzly, whom she thought was asleep. The girl was looking at her with a smirk on her face.

"A rematch? I won fair and square!"

"Hardly; you didn't follow the rules YOU set," Grizzly poked her in the chest, "I lost ALL my momentum going under that barricade, meanwhile, you not only kept your speed up, but got all of the style points!"

"As if I had a choice! It's not like the humans gave me one. But fine, if it pleases you I'll beat you again."

Before Grizzly could retort, Calico's voice rang out over the microphone; it sounded as though she was half asleep.

"This is Calico… we're… five minutes out. Lee… please stop… swerving..."

Grizzly and Welrod rose from their resting spot and moved to unpack their bikes. Welrod grabbed her wrist watch, which doubled as a GPS, as well as her jacket. The girl had a feeling they were in for a long hunt, well into the night. She returned to the makeshift rest stop and waited for Grizzly to join her. The girl with the aviators returned with three satchel charges, their triggers, and an extra ammo bag slung over her shoulder.

No sooner had the two reunited than the sound of a car engine resonated through the forest. As the two looked down the road, they could see the Land Rover approaching. As the car pulled up to the two waiting members of Echelon 3, the passenger side door opened, and Calico tumbled out of the cabin, moaning and holding her head.

Welrod and Grizzly rushed to help their fallen companion, who seemed to be suffering a sensory overload. Two more thumps were heard as WA2000 and Lee-Enfield disembarked the vehicle and joined the others. WA2000 had her arms crossed, looking exasperated at Lee, who had her head locked on a twig on the ground whilst twiddling her thumbs. Welrod looked up at the girl.

"Lee, what's wrong with Calico? She's having sensory overload!" The girl was attempting to get Calico to focus on one thing: a hand, a branch, anything to stop her eyes from darting around their sockets.

"We had to take a detour on a winding road, and she was pouring over the map. I told her to put it away, so she doesn't lose focus, but she ignored me. I tried to drive as best I could, but…"

"In her effort to "make up time" she drove the car like a bat out of hell. It's a wonder that Calico is still conscious." WA2000 finished Lee's sentence for her.

Welrod sat Calico up, who's head was still spinning, and grabbed an extra magazine from the ammunition bag, moving it in front of the girl's face. She carefully monitored Calico's eye movements and synchronized her hand gestures to the woozy girl's eyes. After a few minutes, Calico's eyes locked on the magazine, and with a head shake she was back to normal.

"Thanks, your majesty, you saved the day again!" Calico gave the girl thumbs up before lying back on the ground to finish booting her system.

Welrod stood up and turned around, looking at the two sniper dolls.

"Next time, Calico drives."

The two dolls begrudgingly nodded their heads as they turned back to the vehicle to grab their gear. Lee returned with her rifle slung over her shoulder as well as a boiler for tea; something Welrod was pleased to see. WA-2000 brought up the rear with her rifle bag slung across her body and a carton of chocolate ice cream in hand.

 _By the time we get started that ice cream is going to melt. No use telling WA-chan that though._

Before the three other dolls arrived, Welrod and Grizzly took the liberty to scout ahead to find an ambush location. Two clicks east was a small ravine with rocky formations that would provide ample cover, with thick foliage overhead to help shield against any scouts patrolling ahead of the Manticore division. The commander concurred with Welrod that the location was an apt place for an ambush.

With their destination set, and Calico fully rebooted, the echelon followed Welrod and Grizzly into the dense forest before them. Dead leaves and twigs crackled under the weight of their footsteps as they traversed the deathly quiet forest floor.

"So… I'm bored." Calico broke the silence the group was desperately maintaining.

"We've been walking for approximately five minutes." Welrod shot a wicked glance in the girl's direction.

 _Now's not the time for games Calico._

"Exactly! Ok, would you rather fight a Jaeger, or a Dragoon. Go!" Calico made a wide motion with her hand, inviting the other dolls to answer her query.

"Dragoon." Said Grizzly almost immediately.

"I would also agree with Dragoon." Lee Enfield replied after sitting on the thought for a moment.

"Easily Dragoon." WA-2000 answered hastily.

"What about you Wel-chan?" The group turned towards their leader who was still trudging forward at a reasonable pace.

"I'm not answering that." It wasn't that Welrod didn't want to partake with her friends, rather she wanted to at least be cognizant of their surroundings, so they didn't get into trouble.

"Oh, come on! Look at the fun we're having! It's just a simple word: either Dragoon, or Jaeger." Calico implored.

" _Sigh_ … Jaeger." Welrod relented, hoping that Calico was satisfied enough to remain silent.

The other four dolls looked at her in curiosity.

"Why the Jaeger?" Lee-Enfield asked.

"Well, with my agility I should be able to avoid the Jaeger's fire much easier than a Dragoon who is equipped with a higher rate of fire rifle. And unlike the Dragoon, a Jaeger is not as armored, allowing me to not only close the distance, but eliminate the target efficiently."

While her answer may have silenced the three of the four T-Dolls, much to Welrod's disappointment, this only spurred Calico further.

"Quite the answer there your majesty! You could have just said Jaeger, but it's cool to hear your insight. Anyway, would you rather…"

Calico looked around at the surrounding forest for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she thought of an idea.

"Would you rather spend a weekend with Springfield or a weekend with the Commander?"

"Springfield, despite her being a yankee she is quite proper. And her food is simply splendid!" Lee-Enfield answered first this time.

"I'd choose the commander; the guy is always working, even on weekends, so I'd have the house all to myself! Say, does the commander even have a house?" Grizzly spoke next, her last statement bringing about a very good question: does the commander even sleep?

"I'll be honest I've never seen the man leave his office, then again I'm not a troublemaker like Wel-chan over here who has visited his office quite a bit. Isn't that right, your majesty?" Calico had caught up with Welrod who was unconsciously attempting to outpace her echelon.

"I've only been to his office a few times thank you very much, but I agree with you the only time I've seen him leave was when Sector 78 was attacked." The girl pondered on that thought for a moment: did that poor man not have any place to rest his head?

"He's just an idiot. The guy works harder than we do when it comes to paperwork," WA-2000 chattered.

"The guy is other-worldly I tell you. The way he acts sometimes; as British as you and Lee are programmed to be, this guy seems like the dictionary definition of the sort. A bit weird if I'm perfectly honest." Grizzly continued.

"I don't think it's weird." Welrod whispered under her breath. Calico grew a bit of a smirk on her face, but for Welrod's sanity, and the sake of the mission, she left the topic alone, for now.

"All right, Welrod, I think this is the place, right?"

Grizzly was scanning the horizon. Ahead of the echelon were piles of grey stones stacked meters high. With proper maneuvering they could set up on either side of the ravine and ambush the oncoming convoy.

"Indeed, Alright ladies time to get into position. WA-2000 and Grizzly cross the ravine and set up in the rock formation across from us. Make sure to set up the satchel charges before you do so. They should be laid out across the road below. Myself, Lee, and Calico will set up here. When the convoy arrives, wait for my signal to begin firing: I'll send it over the zenner network."

All the dolls looked at their leader as she finished her speech; their weapons at the ready for the engagement to follow. Welrod gave them each a nod.

"You have your orders, let's do this by the book."

With that, the echelon spread out amongst the rocks, while Grizzly took a detour to lay out the satchel charges on the road below them.

 _Grizzly, set the charges in a line moving up the road._

Welrod's thoughts connected with the zenner network, as she saw Grizzly follow her orders to the letter, aligning the charges and setting them to go off with a click of only one trigger.

Lee nestled herself between two rocks, propping her rifle on a third. This allowed her to rest her arms whilst lying prone in relative cover. WA-2000 had a similar overwatch position, the only difference being she positioned herself cross-legged behind one of the stones. Calico and Welrod were positioned behind two boulders closer to the road than the snipers. This way they could divert attention away from their heavy hitters in the event the enemy realizes what was happening. Grizzly did the same, propping herself up behind a fallen tree with her sights set on the road ahead of her.

Five minutes passed, then ten. The echelon waited in silence as the sun continued its descent towards the Earth. Welrod checked her watch; if the commander's intelligence was right, the convoy was only a few minutes out. A slight breeze flowed through the ravine, leaving behind a ghostly moan. Lee-Enfield shifted her weight and adjusted her scope. Grizzly tossed her pistol from one hand to the other.

Welrod raised her hand. The entire echelon froze and attuned their ears to what the girl had heard. A soft mechanical whine could be heard in the distance, followed by a crunching of earth, then silence. The sound occurred again, louder this time. The girls could see movement down the road as several grey helmets crested the embankment. A troupe of Vespids, 5 units wide, were marching in parade formation into the ravine. Behind them were their targets: the three Manticore walking tanks. At the rear was another platoon of Vespids.

The first squad of Vespids reached the satchel charges. Grizzly's work at hiding the explosives paid off, as the androids never spotted them. Welrod could see Grizzly grab the trigger and look at her, waiting for the signal. Welrod watched the tanks approach, their spider-like legs tearing up the road beneath them.

As the Manticores neared their position, the girls readied their weapons: the snipers bringing their rifles to their eyes, picking out the lead Vespids, while the pistol armed T-Dolls prepared their exo-suits in the event they need to bring the fight to the enemy. They waited in bated breath as the trailing Manticore reached the satchel charge. Welrod's voice called out through the zenner network.

 _Do it._


	24. Chapter 24: Chaos

**Chapter 24: Chaos**

The silent forest erupted into a hurricane of chaos. The satchel charges, exploding in unison, sent pieces of shrapnel from the manticores flying into the air.

Flaming chunks of superheated metal cut through the exo-skeleton of the mechanical soldiers, severing limbs and tearing holes through their bodies. Great plumes of smoke rose high above the tree line, signaling the echelon's successful ambush.

The Vespids at the front of the convoy were dead before the explosions even had a chance to reach them, crumpling under the combined rifle fire of Lee-Enfield and WA2000. Lee-Enfield took her time, and with great care, dropped two enemies at a time with her high powered rifle, scoring hits through the craniums of the panicked Vespids. WA2000's fire rate flowed into a steady stream of shots, bringing down androids with joint shots, finishing them off with a bullet to the head. Bits and pieces of wire, metal, and electronics littered both the forest floor and road.

Welrod could hear the two sniper doll's voices over the din through the zenner network.

 _18, 19… 20 you'd better keep up old lady, this time I'm going to beat you._

 _Your manners need work WA2000, as does your aim. I'm at 32 kills._

 _Hey! 2 for 1s still only count as one kill dummy!_

Welrod was about to send a message for both T-Dolls to strap a silencer to their mouths, when she saw an opening that could be used to finish the fight before the enemy regroups.

 _Calico, Grizzly, with me! It's time to mop up._

The three dolls in unison emerged from cover, barreling through the smoke and flames towards their panicked opponents, who were shooting in all directions, still not clear on where the enemy was firing from.

Welrod reached a target first, it's back facing her. She pressed her pistol against the back of its neck and fired, blowing bits of electronic brain matter out the front of the Vespid's faceplate. The android next to her noticed its comrade's destruction, and swung its machine gun towards Welrod. She caught the weapon with one hand, turned, and flipped the Vespid over her shoulder. Placing her foot on its chest, the girl took aim at the exposed region below the faceplate and fired, leaving the android sprawled motionless beneath her.

To her left, Grizzly could be seen tearing the arm of a Ripper from its socket, and then proceeding to swing at the android repeatedly as if the arm were a cricket bat. It only took several swings for the android to lose most of its important components, namely its head. The girl then tossed aside the mangled remains of the arm, turned to another Ripper, who was blindly firing in many directions, and aimed her pistol at the back of its head.

Meanwhile, Welrod saw a Jaeger take aim at Grizzly, and rushed the Android, slamming into its side, throwing off its aim, sending the plasma shot into two of its allies, incinerating both in a crimson inferno. While the enemy was dazed, Welrod grabbed its head, and twisted violently, snapping the enemy's neck. The now defunct Jaeger crumpled to the forest floor, sparks flickering in its neck cavity.

Calico had her legs wrapped around the neck of one of the Dragoon riders, and was firing into the remaining pack of androids, cackling as she dropped one after another. The rider was clawing at the girls legs, tearing off bits of skin and revealing the electronics underneath. The mech, with its pilot occupied, was shooting blindly into the horde of Sangvis units, adding more mayhem to the already chaotic scene. The girl seemed to have had enough of toying with the android, and with a swift motion, severed the nerve center at the back of the neck with her thighs. The now deactivated rider crumpled to the floor. Calico dismounted the android with a roll, and continued firing upon the now dwindling Sangvis Ferri forces.

The echelon continued its assault, and soon all of the remaining foes lay demolished around them. Calico, Grizzly, and Welrod met up with one another in the center of the ravine, fire and smoke swirling around them. Grizzly gave Calico a fist bump, as Lee-Enfield and WA2000 descended from their over watch positions.

"That's sixty-five little lady. How many did you get?" Lee was smiling as she approached the three dolls standing in the middle of the now receding chaos.

"There's no way you got sixty-five kills! We are looking at the combat footage when we get back. If I win you, are buying me a tub of chocolate ice cream!" WA2000 pouted.

The echelon, now reunited, climbed out of the embankment, and rested briefly on one of the cliffs overlooking the ravine.

Welrod raised her hand to her ear.

"Commander, this is Welrod, all targets confirmed eliminated. Awaiting further orders."

"Well... done… Ech- 3! We… are… awai-"the commander's voice was cut off by static.

"Commander, do you read me?" The girl tapped her earpiece, and then looked at the other members of the echelon. "Is anyone getting a better signal?"

The girls shook their heads.

"The idiot probably forgot to tune the channel properly again." WA2000 rolled her eyes.

 _No, this doesn't seem right. The signal should be right as rain._

"Everyone back to back! I have a feeling we aren't alone. Eyes up and stay focused." The echelon setup in a box formation, each girl having the back of the other. Their eyes darted along the tree line, searching for the unseen foe.

The only sounds that tumbled across the battlefield were the sparks from the downed Manticores, the flames from the burning foliage, and the echelon's sporadic breathing. Then suddenly, a chilling rumble rose from the depths of the forest.

 _Is that… laughter?_

"It's good to see you again… pretty girl." A shudder ran down Welrod's spine as she recognized the voice that addressed them.

"I must say you continue to… impress me. In fact, your entire team has taught us so much. Little Miss Red Coat, your sacrifice at our base was so heroic, oh it must have moved everyone to tears! It's a shame that your team prevented you from taking the shot that could have ended it all."

 _Two nights ago… Lee..._

"I see you also brought the ever so endearing rock star! I wonder what it feels like to have authority ripped out from under you."

Welrod glanced over at Calico, who had her eyes narrowed and teeth barred, her pistol trembling.

"I of course can't forget the movie star, how are those legs treating you?"

"Just fine, why don't you come on out so I can give you a good kicking?!" Grizzly was swinging her pistol back and forth, challenging the entity to fight her. Its only response was a laugh.

"And last but not least, the little G&K brat. Tell me: how much do you think your echelon despises you?"

"Shut up, you don't know anything!" WA2000 yelled. The girl was gripping her rifle; it looked like she was going to crush the wooden stock.

"Easy, WA-Chan. She's trying to rile you up." Welrod motioned for the girl to cool down. She then turned towards the forest.

"You seem to know a lot about us, but we don't know you. Why don't you do us a favor and tell us what the bloody hell you want or go on ahead and fight!"

A cackle rose from the depths of the forest.

"Oh, how much fun that would be! Sadly, I haven't the time. Run along now Echelon 3, and enjoy your victory. Contact your Commander; he is probably in a fit of panic, what with his favorite playthings being lost. I'm sure we will be seeing one another again, very soon."

Silence took hold of the ravine. The echelon remained in their formation, as five minutes passed, then another five. Suddenly the commander burst through the voice channel, the static now gone.

"Echelon 3… Echelon 3 this is Commander Blair! Welrod, are you and your team alright!?"

Welrod took a quick glance at each of her teammates.

"Sir, this is Echelon 3, all Dolls accounted for. We ran into…" the girl turned back to the forest, "...something. Requesting immediate departure."

A sigh of relief was heard through the other end of the channel.

"Request affirmed. Return to base using the same route you took this morning. No racing this time, that's an order."

"Sir. I need to speak with you about what we saw out here, it's urgent."

The commander grunted, a response Welrod was not used to.

"Noted. Come to my office as soon as you return. Bring the others with you. I apologize if the matter I am about to deal with hasn't resolved itself by then. Eric out."

 _What could he mean by that?_

"Alright ladies, let's get the hell out of here."


	25. Chapter 25: The Woman in Red

**Chapter 25: The Woman in Red**

The T-Doll's footsteps echoed off the corridor walls as they walked from the entrance of the compound to the commander's office. It was close to midnight, and the changing of the guard was about to take place, though at the moment the hallways were clear enough for the five girls to walk next to one another rather than single file.

"So, what do you think the commander has in store for us?" Calico said while checking her nails, "Damn, I think I chipped one."

"Probably going to say how jacked I am! Did you see how I tore that android a new one with its own arm!?" Grizzly showed off her "guns" with a flex.

"All I know is that what we heard out there isn't going away. The sooner we identify the foe the sooner we I'll be able to find a way to beat it," Welrod glanced at Calico, "are you sure you don't want to get your legs looked at?"

Calico had sustained a great deal of exterior damage from the android clawing at her legs. The skin from the thigh to the ankle was ripped off, hanging on by pits of exposed sinew. The world could clearly see the metallic bits of endoskeleton that identified Calico as a T-Doll.

"Nah… I've had worse! Plus, if commander sees me like this, maybe I'll get a new pair like G-Dog!"

The echelon has reached the metal door of the commander's office. A slight draft drifted through the hallway, causing the group to shiver, as they waited for the commander to let them in.

"Shouldn't The Commander have let us in by now? He is expecting us is he not?" Lee-Enfield had a slight look of concern.

Welrod places her ear against the door. She could clearly hear the voice of the commander, as calm as ever, however she did sense a bit of strain in his speech as well. There was, however, another voice, an older woman?

"The Commander is in there, but he's not alone. He doesn't sound as collected as usual." Welrod looked at the rest of the echelon, who were trying to decide what to do.

"Wait… didn't the voice say it would be seeing us very soon? Maybe it has the commander captive!" Grizzly cracked her knuckles.

 _That's right. If the commander was being interrogated he would at least have the state of mind to remain calm, but I would expect even he would be undergoing some sort of mental or physical strain._

"So, what are we going to do?"

As they were contemplating what to do next, the buzzer on the door sounded, as the noise of it being unlocked could be heard. The echelon carefully opened the door, Welrod in the lead, and peered inside.

"-and that's not even considering the social impact of the situation. You know as well as I do that most people do not take kindly to T-Dolls. Now they have a reason why: two of them engaged and injured human police officers."

The commander was sitting in his chair with his eyes set on the woman standing in front of him. She was wearing a G&K uniform though without the beret, and had a clipboard in her hand.

"To be fair to the girls, they had to make an uneasy choice, and I believe the outcome shows that they made the correct one. The officers only being slightly injured is a testament to their restraint and skills. Let's not forget Sir, they succeeded in their mission." The commander shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"And let's not forget Commander, WE are the ones who will be paying for the damages, and the bad press. We are on thin ice as it is." The woman paused, she could sense the party that had just entered the room but wanted to finish her thought.

"Whether the mission was a success or not, whether the officers were injured or not, I am still disappointed in not only your echelon, but you Commander. You give your T-Dolls too much leash in matters like this. I don't know if it is because of your laziness or your misguided belief that T-Dolls can operate without supervision, but this will change. Until you can prove to not only me, but Mr. Krueger that your dolls can restrain themselves, your echelons will be under the complete supervision of one of our own."

The commander stood up, and gave the woman a salute.

"Yes Sir, Miss Helian."

With that the woman turned and finally addressed the echelon.

"I hope you five understand the ramifications of what has occurred today. If another incident occurs, we will have to take more drastic actions."

"Hey, I think we did a good job out there!" Calico voiced her opinion, and was taken to task by the woman towering over her.

"A good job? The report said no T-Doll damaged, do you consider those," The woman pointed her pencil at Calico's legs, "undamaged?" The green headed girl was silent. "That's what I thought."

Helian then walked past the echelon, throwing them a disapproving glance then narrowing her gaze at the Commander, and out the door, her footsteps fading into the distance as it slowly closed behind her.

"What's with the stick up her a- "

The commander cut Grizzly off.

"Never mind. That was Miss Helian, who as far as the company is concerned, is second only to Mr. Krueger himself. She was here on a routine inspection of Sector 78, and as you also heard, she is removing me from command temporarily, I trust you will show my replacement the respect you show me." The commander smiled, although Welrod could tell it was mostly forced.

"Now, onto more pressing matters: about what happened today…"

"Sir, I take full responsibility for my actions and Grizzly's in the field. I am the one who deserves any punishment." Welrod spat the words out in quick succession.

"No, no, no, you don't get to be the martyr boss, I was the one who goaded you into it. Commander, I'm the one who deserves the blame." Grizzly placed her arm in front of Welrod, shielding her from the commander's impending words.

"I… should have advised against it, I'm more to blame than those two. I should know better." Lee-Enfield spoke up.

"Hey! At least you weren't egging them on the entire time. Look boss-man let these guys off the hook." Calico stepped forward.

The echelon then turned to WA2000, who was trying to avoid their gaze.

"Wh-what do you want me to say? I d-didn't play any part in that! I-it was totally irresponsible." WA2000 turned away.

The commander laughed.

"No, no, I meant after the mission, you ladies said you ran into something, something that required my incite."

"Oh… right," Welrod said, her embarrassed face matching those around her. Gathering herself she recounted the words the entity spoke after the battle, with each sentence making the commander's face display more concern.

"-it said it would be seeing us again real soon. Sir, I'm, we are, concerned that whatever was out there is coming for us." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"I see… I wish I had answers for you, however I'm as clueless as you are. Although, with my command being removed for the time being, I may have an opportunity to do some digging. I appreciate you girls for bringing this up to me, and I will place it as my utmost priority. I also want to congratulate you on your success today, and tell you not to worry about Miss Helian. She can be a bit stiff… but her career, and the company, depends on it. Now, as my last order to you for the time being, I want you to look over the film of the battle and locate any improvements you can make, I know this is new to you, but I am certain this will prepare you for future battles. Now get to it!"

The girls raced off back to the dorm, but before Welrod made her exit, the Commander beckoned her back.

"Besides improving your skills, I need you to be on the lookout to see if you can locate the source of this voice you told me about. Send me any information you find on the tape, be it audio or visual. Also…"

He then placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Welrod, if this new Commander is who I think he is, you need to be careful. He has a very… unorthodox method of training. It works, I'll give him that, but the deficits it creates far outweigh the benefits in my opinion. Just know that for now, you will have to be your echelon's shield more than ever. Understood?"

"Affirmative, I won't let you down Sir." Welrod gave a salute and walked out the office door.

 _Surely someone of G &K cannot be too bad. If that new commander is anything like Eric I'm sure we will all get along just fine._

However, there was time to think about that later. First, Welrod had to converse with a certain green haired T-Doll.


	26. Chapter 26: Film Night

**Chapter 26: Film Night**

"Calico, you need to work on your posture. You're slouching." Lee-Enfield said, pointing the eraser end of her pencil at the girl's back.

"Oh, come on Lee! It's passed midnight and we are still watching film. You guys are lucky I'm still conscious. Why are we even doing this?" Calico had her head resting on a pillow, her voice muffled as she laid there. The green haired girl then turned her attention to the notepad in the British sniper's hand. "He didn't order us to write a novel, Lee!"

"I'm taking notes on the battle; I've written down improvements that myself and the echelon can add to our battle strategy."

"Are you sure about that? I didn't know doodling was a part of taking notes. Are those… unicorns? Who is that girl you drew a heart around anyway? Looks kinda like..." Grizzly was looking over the British Doll's shoulder, a smirk plastered over her face.

"N-N-nothing! Bugger off!" The girl quickly shut the notepad, her face turning red. "It's not like you're taking notes either!"

"Enough you two, if we don't stay on topic we won't finish film until tomorrow morning. There is plenty to improve upon, you just need to focus. Now, for WA2000's sake let's keep going so she can sleep." Welrod was looking over at the other sniper, whose head was nodding as she tried to stay awake. The sound of her name snapped her back from the brink.

"I-I wasn't falling asleep! I'm not a child Welrod! Pay attention to film!" WA2000 said, giving her cheeks a slap, attempting to keep herself amongst the living.

"Oh, oh! Gimme the remote! This is the part where I tear that Ripper's arm out!"

Grizzly snatched the remote control out of Calico's hand as she slowed down the tape to witness the carnage frame by frame. Cringing, Welrod looked on as the Grizzly on tape beat the life out of the android. Despite the fact it was an enemy, the girl's brutality still made Welrod uneasy; for as laidback of a personality Grizzly had she could be downright bloodthirsty given the circumstances.

 _Note to self: never piss this girl off._

Welrod looked around at the other girls sitting in the semicircle with her. WA2000 was eating a tub of chocolate ice cream not only to keep herself awake, but to keep her eyes from viewing the traumatic display unfolding before her. Lee was using her notepad as a shield, blocking the sight with the white, blue striped paper while scribbling "words" onto the page at a mile a minute. Calico was the only one truly engrossed in the carnage, her mouth agape at the spectacle she was witnessing. The clip ended with Grizzly standing victorious over the broken remains of the Ripper, her face twisted into a maniacal grin. The Doll in question paused the video and stood up, turning to the crowd.

"Wasn't that great or what!?" The girl's grin eerily matched the one on the screen. The remainder of the echelon shifted uncomfortably.

 _It was certainly an… interesting display._

"That was gross Grizzly, you almost made me lose my desert!" WA2000 was holding her stomach, and was looking quite pale; evidently she didn't, or couldn't, prevent herself from watching.

"That was barbaric… but I won't say they didn't deserve it. Just… maybe not so excessive next time?" Lee's eyes were poking above her notepad as she continued working.

"Are you writing that note down next to the Unicorn or the heart?" Grizzly's face morphed into a cheeky grin.

Lee-Enfield, scowling, her face now a deep scarlet— whether it be from frustration or embarrassment was unclear— returned her eyes to the notepad.

"I gotta hand it to you Grizzly that was pretty sweet!" The entire echelon groaned at Calico's poor joke, which then turned to booing as the green haired T-Doll gave a bow and skipped off to the kitchenette.

 _I guess that's my cue._

Welrod followed the pop diva to the refrigerator, where the Doll was grabbing a cool glass pitcher filled with water, while humming a tune from one of Suomi's CDs. Welrod approached the girl from behind, awkwardly shifting her weight as she formulated the right words to say.

Calico finished fixing her drink, and turned around, shocked to see Welrod standing in front of her.

"Oh! Hi there your majesty! What's up? Thirsty?" The girl swirled the water in her cup as she tilted her head in questioning.

"H-hey Miss Calico. Something's been clawing at my mind as of late. That voice we heard more specifically."

Intrigued, the green haired girl leaned against the cupboard and took a sip of water.

"Ok? I mean it was all kind of strange wasn't it? What with it knowing so much about us and all."

Laughter ensued in the background as WA-2000 had apparently been seen missing a point blank shot. The sniper doll had her arms crossed, pouting, a spoon sticking out of her mouth.

"Y-yes, just…" the girl took a deep breath.

"Also, I gotta say it's going to be refreshing to have a new commander leading us. Blair can be such a weirdo sometimes. You think it's going to be a permanent thing or..."

"What did it mean by your authority being ripped away?"

Calico, who was in the midst of taking another sip, choked as the words reached her ears. Spluttering, she slammed her chest with her fist as she attempted to regain composure. The three dolls in front of the screen turned to see if their friend was okay. Welrod, attempted to help but was stopped by her friend. Satisfied that the diva was no longer choking, WA2000, Grizzly, and Lee turned back to the television.

Something about the girl's attitude had changed. Her usual light-hearted aura was replaced by something of frustration; at whom Welrod had yet to decipher. Calico would answer that question for her.

"If it's referring to what I think it is: several months ago, I was the leader of this echelon. Everything was fine and dandy. We completed missions, maybe not perfectly, but we got the job done. Then one night, I wake up in the emergency repair center, with WA-2000, Grizzly, and Lee-Enfield laying in cots around me, unconscious. We were never told what occurred, nor do we remember. Whatever happened out there was enough for the commander to strip me of team lead status and search for a more… suitable replacement." Calico's face had turned sour, her lips pursed in frustration. "I'm glad that man is gone, even for just a short time, him and his stupid British accent."

Calico quickly looked up at Welrod, who had an eyebrow raised, her eyes darting awkwardly back and forth.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

The Calico shifted her weight back as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"I mean I make one mistake, and that's it. The rug pulled out from under me. Let's ignore the countless missions I led that were momentous successes. One slip up and I'm canned. Every time I see his ugly mug I just wanna tear those stupid spectacles off his face and shove them up his—"

The Doll's fists tightened, to the point where Welrod thought they would start bleeding. Then, the girl's features softened as she let out a sigh.

"Look, whatever beef I have with the commander, don't let that lead you to think I don't have your back. Despite how much it irks me how quick he is to forgive you, I know that in the end you are a better leader than I could ever be."

Calico stood straight up, and place her hands on Welrod's shoulders.

"At the end of the day, what matters is not who's in charge, but if we survive and finish the mission. With you leading us, I know we will succeed. I can agree with the commander on that at the very least." The girl silently shook her head. "Heh, agreeing with the commander, I'm truly lost now aren't I?"

The girl then let a smile retake her face as she looked at the remaining three echelon members laughing at Calico's victory over the Dragoon.

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or those three over there. You all mean too much to me." Calico's lip quivered a bit, though with a quick shake of her head she was back to normal.

"Now how about we go back and watch some of our greatest hits. I promise I won't pun-ish you guys!" With a wink, Calico returned to the group, leaving Welrod with a lot to think about. Looking at the clock, Welrod grabbed an energy drink from the refrigerator and prepared to settle in; it was going to be a long night.


	27. Chapter 27: A New King

**Chapter 27: A New Threat**

 _Bang bang bang_

Welrod woke with a start; someone was knocking on their dormitory door. The girl slowly lifted her head, yawning drowsily, looking around at the other members of her team. The echelon had watched film late into the night, and had apparently fallen asleep where they were sitting. WA2000, who was snoring, had curled up next to Lee-Enfield who was mumbling in her sleep. Grizzly was lying flat on her belly, her face firmly planted in the thick lace of the pillow she borrowed from Calico. The green haired girl was slumped over, somehow finding a way to sleep whilst sitting up.

 _Bang bang bang_

Another three knocks. Evidently whoever was looking for them wasn't going to let them be. Welrod looked back at Grizzly, who was beginning to stir.

"Grizzly, answer the door, you're the closest!" Welrod whispered.

With a groan, Grizzly shook her head. "But I don't wanna, tell Lee to do it!" She then grabbed the pillow and placed it over her head to block out the noise.

Welrod, not expecting results from the aviator sporting Doll, then turned to Lee Enfield.

"Lee, please wake up! We need to answer the door."

"T-thank you Miss Springfield… that's a lovely… absolutely divine!" Lee smiled, entirely lost in whatever fantasy she had dreamt up.

 _Right, I guess I must be the one to get up. Thanks girls. I do NOT look proper for this._

 _Bang Bang Crack_

The door to their dormitory was kicked in as men in combat fatigue filed through the now open frame. Welrod jumped to her feet, searching for her pistols.

"We're under attack! Defend yourselves!" Welrod screamed as she spotted and dove for her weapons.

The echelon groggily scrambled to their feet, attempting to find anything that could serve as a weapon. Welrod, trying to buy her team time, leveled her pistol at the lead trooper. Suddenly, a girl in a rather showy outfit jumped between the two, her hands raised in the air.

"Wait, Miss Welrod! Don't shoot!" It was Kalina, clipboard in hand and headset around her neck. Even after these many months she had still not changed her wardrobe, although she did appear to have added a few more pins to her jacket.

Everyone froze as Kalina slowly motioned for Welrod to calm down. The girl slowly lowered her weapon; however, she did not holster it. On closer inspection, the men in combat fatigue were all wearing crimson G&K uniforms. Their weapons were either holstered at their sides or strapped to their backs. In their hands were several cardboard boxes labeled furniture, belongings, and miscellaneous.

"What's going on Miss Kalina?" Lee-Enfield said wiping her eyes, now relatively awake.

"Yea, what the hell IS going on? We were just trying to sleep… Hey put that down!" Calico raced over to her bed where a G&K Officer was packing up her belongings into his box. She attempted to get between the man and her CD collection, but she was shrugged off. The green headed girl balled her fist and, in a rage, began wailing on the man as two other employees were forced to drag the girl off him. Meanwhile, Grizzly was in a tug-of-War with another soldier over her motorcycle keys. The girl had her teeth barred; fire burning in her eyes as she reached for her pistol sitting neatly on her desk.

"Calico, Grizzly, please!" Kalina's voice thundered over the chaos. The entire room froze and turned to the normally cheerful adjutant. "I'm sorry, but we are going to confiscate your belongings," she then turned to the rest of the echelon, "all of your belongings."

"On whose orders?" Welrod said, her arms crossed, and eyes narrowed.

 _What the hell kind of a joke is this?!_

"Commander Archibald's orders. He was flown in early this morning. His first request was to empty out all dormitories of unnecessary belongings, that includes personal items and furniture. I-I attempted to persuade him otherwise, but he wouldn't have it, as Helian has given him direct control of everything in Sector 78. I'm sorry ladies." The girl with the clipboard lowered her head. "We can take it from here. For now report to the dining hall for breakfast. The commander will be issuing new orders to you all there."

Frowning, Kalina moved to assist one of the G&K employees with WA2000's bed, its owner trying to weigh it down with her body. The piece of furniture was carried out with WA2000 screaming obscenities that Welrod had never even heard of.

"You heard Miss Kalina, it's time for breakfast ladies." Welrod led her outraged echelon out of their dormitory. The girl looked back at the beautiful rendition of an American diner, soon to be gone forever.

The grumbling flock of T-Dolls stomped down the hallway towards the dining hall, a throng of other echelons joining them, equally upset. Welrod spotted Suomi, who was in quite the state. The girl approached the crying Doll.

"Hey little Miss, what's wrong?" Suomi looked up at Welrod, and gave her a hug, searching for comfort.

"T-they took my music Miss Welrod, all of it! I spent so much money on that collection. W-why would they do this?" The girl looked up searching Welrod's face for answers.

"I don't know for sure, but I promise you I will find out." Welrod gave the girl a squeeze, and handed her off to FNC, one of the members of Suomi's echelon.

The echelons finally reached the dining hall, and formed a line for Springfield's morning feast. Today, the woman had prepared hot cakes with a side of scrambled eggs and country ham. Welrod had noticed that Springfield had considered the specific tastes of each T-Doll, and adjusted the meal to fit their liking. For example, FNC had more syrup on her hot cakes while being given less eggs. Welrod was given tea versus WA2000's orange juice.

 _It's truly the little things that matter. Despite all that's going on, at least we can eat a fine meal still._

The echelon, arms fully laden with their breakfast, sat down to devour their rations, and of course, complain about the events going on.

"It's complete BS, I mean they're treating us like animals right now!" Grizzly viciously stabbed her fork into her ham. The irony in Grizzly's statement was not lost on Welrod.

"That bed had memory foam, memory foam! That took me three and a half months of pay to purchase. I had to drop chocolate ice cream for a week!" WA2000 muttered as she took a sip of her orange juice.

"Look, I understand this is a difficult time right now, but I'm certain that it can only get better from here on in. We just need to stay positive!" Lee-Enfield attempted to lighten the girl's spirits.

It was at that moment the microphone on the stage made a loud ear-splitting ring. The girls instinctively brought their hands to their ears trying desperately to block out the horrible sound. Welrod searched for the source, spotting a portly man in a lavish G&K dress uniform standing in the middle of the stage, his chest covered with as many medals as Kalina had pins. He sported a goatee, with a curling mustache to match. A monocle sat firmly on his left eye. The man cleared his throat.

"My name, is Lord Commander Archibald III. I was sent by Mr. Kreuger himself to turn this base into the finest establishment in the United Kingdom. You may have noticed we have removed your belongings. Soldiers don't need attachments, especially those of your… stature." The man walked down off the stage and scanned the crowd of T-Dolls staring at him.

"Your housing will not be the only thing changed around here. A mandatory curfew is now in place. All Dolls are to be in their rooms at no later than 9:00 pm. Punishment for doing otherwise will be determined by myself or my adjutant Clarence." A wormy man with thick square glasses peeked out from behind his side superior.

"Yes Sir, punishment will certainly be determined!" The man nodded at Commander Archibald, searching for approval.

"Each echelon will be assigned a human handler to track their improvements. If they deem your efforts unsatisfactory…" The commander continued.

"Punishment will be carried out." Clarence finished.

"Thank you, Clarence. Now, time for more current affairs. The meal you see in front of you is befitting of a soldier. But you are not soldiers, you are T-Dolls. From now on until I see fit, your rations will consist of Enhancement Pills. This will give you the sustenance to carry on through your training. This training will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with a short fifteen-minute break at noon for an Enhancement Pill."

The throng erupted into a series of complaints, yelling, and overall unpleasantness. Welrod saw Calico jump on the table, shaking her fist at the new commander while Grizzly was being held back by Lee and WA2000.

"I'ma kill him! I'll do it! You better hold me back because I ain't gonna stop!"

A pistol shot was heard, silencing the T-Dolls. Archibald lowered his revolver.

"Now…" The man clapped his hands twice and a group of G&K employees stormed in carrying more cardboard boxes. The men grabbed soup ladles out of their box and deposited a pile of pills on each Doll's plate. Welrod stares at the multi-colored mountain before her, carefully prodding the pile with her fork. She then turned to the commander, who was now sitting down behind a lavish table brought in by one of the employees. Clarence was busying himself with tucking a napkin into the man's shirt.

"Thank you, Clarence, now where is my meal?"

Right on que, Springfield approached the commander carrying a wide plate of what looked like roast duck and… caviar? A large bottle of wine was held in the woman's left hand as she balanced the plate on her right. Springfield deposited the meal in front of the commander who immediately devoured the roast duck.

Archibald spat out the meal as soon as it had hit his lips. The T-Dolls in the room looked on in shock. "What is this rubbish?! This… pauper fare! I ordered roast swan not duck you imbecile!" The Commander was staring incredulously at Springfield.

 _You call yourself a gentleman..._

"I'm sorry Sir, but we couldn't find swans in Scotland, so in short notice we had to make due." The girl, unphased, stood smiling in front of the commander.

"Make due?! I'm your commanding officer! I give you an order and you fulfill it!" He took a sip of wine and grimaced. "This wine isn't what I requested either. I specifically said I wanted it aged three years, two months, a week and five days, are you trying to poison me? Get out of my sight. Damn colonial T-Dolls, wouldn't know fine dining if it threw itself into your mouth." Springfield gave a bow, and wandered off, her motherly patience being tested.

 _It's a wonder how Springfield manages to keep her cool._

"That bastard, that meal was perfect I guarantee you!" Lee-Enfield was glaring at the portly commander who was being delivered a fresh meal by Clarence.

"Now, finish your breakfast and report to training. You have five minutes." Commander Archibald sputtered, his mouth full of roast.

The girls powered through the pills, the taste somewhere between chalk and cement, and wandered off towards the training center.

"It can't get worse huh Lee?" WA2000 glared at the girl who was walking with her head down.

"Enough, how was she to know the commander is… that. We have a long day ahead of us, and being at each other's throats is not going to help. We've been through worse than this, so let's focus up and hammer down this training."

Welrod nodded to the echelon, which was received with less than enthusiastic sighs.

 _In truth, I have a feeling this won't be the end of commander's unorthodox training._


	28. Chapter 28: Chess Pieces and Whiskey

**Chapter 28: Five Chess Pieces and a Bottle of Whiskey**

"Alright ladies, that's good for now. Hold your fire."

Welrod looked around at her beleaguered echelon, each girl at their limit. They had been training for the past five hours, repeating the same monotonous defense drill. Lee's arms were shaking from holding her rifle at the ready for the entire duration of the exercise. WA2000 had her trigger finger in her mouth; trying desperately to nullify the pain of her sprained digit. Grizzly and Calico we're leaning on one another, their chests heaving from the intense CrossFit workout they underwent. Even Welrod herself was struggling to remain standing, her knees beginning to buckle.

The exhausted team shuffled over to a nearby bench to rest their minds and fill their stomachs. The brief feeling of a metal bench beneath Welrod felt like utter bliss. Grizzly, who had her head planted face down on the table let out a groan.

"Hey Calico, toss me a protein shake would ya?" The girl looked up and reached out towards the green haired girl, expecting a bottle of chocolate protein being delivered to her waiting hands, only to be disappointed by a large bag of enhancement pills.

"No real food remember? Commander Twat made sure of that." Calico grumbled as she reached into her own bag of pills and stuffed a handful down her gullet, shivering as the capsules hit her throat.

"Hey! The man's tactics may be… different, but he's still a commander. The man deserves our respect at the very least," Welrod said, not hiding the pain in her voice.

"Welrod's right, I'm sure he's just doing this to improve our skills. We have to trust Miss Helian's judgement." Lee looked at her leader reassuringly.

"Helian is too busy to notice the obvious. The guy sucks at his job, period. I am NOT eating those Lee." WA2000 shoved Lee-Enfield's outstretched hand away.

"I know they don't taste… well like anything really, but you need something to keep your strength up!" Lee was trying to find enough of an opening to force the pills into the pouting girl's mouth, like a mother trying to feed their disgruntled child vegetables.

"I said, I'm not going to eat them! Especially if they come from-"

"What are you androids doing? Your break ended exactly thirty-two seconds ago."

The echelon turned to the sound of the voice; standing before them was portly Commander Archibald, fuming mad. Behind him lurked his adjutant Clarence, dragging a cart filled with long gun cases.

"S-sir! We were just about to get back to training!" Welrod stood at attention and saluted, her echelon following the girl's lead. Grizzly slowly lowered her hand, causing the disgruntled commander to turn on her.

"Did I say you could be at ease android?" The man spat the words at the beleaguered girl, who tried to lift her exhausted arm.

"I apologize on her behalf Sir, our echelon has been working hard the past few hours." Welrod stepped between the two individuals, preparing to take the heat.

"Hmph, Welrod Mk II, I've read your file, your commander had nothing but praise for you. Praise I see that is unfounded, since you seem to be unable to retain discipline in your echelon."

Welrod ground her teeth. This man was impossible. Although, she did have a sense of comfort knowing Eric Blair thought highly of her skills.

"That however, is beside the point. For the next few hours, I will be honing your firearm skills. Clarence, if you'd please."

With a grin, the commander's adjutant opened up one of the crates, and removed a Lee-Enfield rifle. Archibald, delicately grabbing the weapon from Clarence's outstretched hands then turned to Grizzly, shoving the weapon into her arms. Surprised, the girl fumbled with the weapon, although she was able to recover before she dropped it completely.

"You androids will continue your defense drill session using the Lee-Enfield rifle." The man grabbed another rifle and stuffed it into the hands of Calico, who looked down at the wooden monstrosity in shock.

"It was a weapon used by the British Empire for hundreds of years, and it will be your new training partner." Welrod was the next to receive the commander's "gift," sinking a bit as the rifle was in dropped into her outstretched hands.

"I will be observing your progress, if I see an unsatisfactory display, punishment will be carried out."

"B-but Sir, we aren't trained to use this weapon!" Welrod sputtered.

"Then you will learn, like good soldiers." The Commander turned around and walked towards the observation platform, Clarence following closely behind, a smirk plastered over his face.

The echelon turned to Welrod, their faces pleading for a retort. Welrod's fists tightened, as she exhaled roughly. There are times to fight, and there are times to obey. For now, Welrod would follow her orders. She turned her back to the commander and slung her rifle over her shoulder.

"You heard him ladies. Let's get to work."

With a mixture of sighs, grunts, groans, and a "This is utter bullshit," from Grizzly, Echelon 3 continued their training. The task was simple: maneuver through rough terrain and reach the target, a mission they had performed flawlessly for the past few hours.

The Dolls soon realized how much of a detriment their new weapons would come to be. The handgun Dolls found the Lee-Enfield to be too bulky to carry around as they attempted to dodge their holographic hostiles. The first casualty was Grizzly, lodging the rifle in a rock as she vaulted over a fallen tree, causing her to trip and landed face first into the muddy floor below. A loud gasp of frustration emanated from the puddle. Welrod, attempting to squeeze herself between a ruined wall and a boulder, managed to clothesline herself with her rifle. Dazed, oil rushing from her nose, the girl struggled to her feet as she saw Calico attempting to fire her rifle, only to have the recoil throw the weapon out of her hands and into a shrub behind her, as she had not properly set the rifle to her shoulder, rather attempting hip firing. With a frustrated yell she grabbed the rifle and began beating up the target dummy with the stock end, her patience completely nullified. Welrod's attempt to fire yielded better results, however she missed her target by such a wide margin, the bullet impacted a tree four yards to the left of her mark. She tightened her grip on the rifle, attempting to squeeze through the wooden stock.

The rifle Dolls were not faring much better. WA2000 was struggling to pull the bolt back on the rifle, her lack of energy slowly catching up to her. Her face was pale; her limbs trembling from a lack of nutrients. Finally, she was able to pull the bolt back, only to get her thumb caught as she returned it to the initial position. WA2000 yelped in pain, and dropped the rifle. Lee-Enfield, the best by far, still failed to hit the bullseye, hitting the target six inches off the mark. Lee's hands trembled as she struggled to keep the rifle raised, as she had now been exercising for eight hours. The girl hung her head, dejected. Before she could refocus down the sight, a voice called out from the observation platform.

"I've seen enough!"

Echelon 3 froze. Grizzly slowly picked her head out of the mud, the darkened mass of dirt, sand, and water shrouding the fury her face expressed. Calico dropped the broken remains of her rifle while Welrod slung hers over her shoulder. Lee-Enfield had retrieved a bandage from her satchel, and was dressing WA2000's wound. The girl was a mess: physically and emotionally exhausted, very hungry, and beyond embarrassed.

Commander Archibald sauntered up to Echelon 3, his face showing a blank expression.

"My low expectations were somehow unsurpassed. You handgun androids are some of the clumsiest individuals I've ever seen. Does the enemy die of laughter? How do you almost incapacitate yourself Welrod Mk II?" The man turned to WA2000. "And you! Do you even know how to reload a weapon? Or does your teammate have to do everything for you, including dressing your own wounds. Speaking of your teammate…"

The man turned to Lee, his face full of disappointment. "Out of every android in this echelon, I expected you to at least impress me. You've trained your whole life with that weapon. And yet you failed to do the one thing you were made for. It's a shame you're a disgrace to your heritage."

"Now, all of you will report to your dormitory immediately. There you will remain until I see fit. Your handler will be there to greet you. Dismissed."

The exhausted and frustrated echelon shambled off back to their dormitory. Once out of earshot, Grizzly was the first to voice her opinions.

"Ya know, maybe, just maybe, if that jackass didn't force us to use weapons we have NEVER used before, we would have been fine!"

"Right?! Well, at least we can retire to our dorm and relax…. oh wait! That's right, they removed all of our furniture." Calico fumed.

 _With all the events going on, I completely forgot our dormitory situation. What do they expect us to do, sleep on the floor!?_

"He thinks I'm worthless…" Lee-Enfield was looking down at her feet.

"Hey, keep your chin up Lee, you did fine! One missed shot out of the hundreds you took is expected!" Welrod attempted to lift the girl's spirits, but to no avail as Lee continued to hang her head dejected.

After a brief walk from the training center, the echelon returned to their dormitory. Upon opening it, they were greeted with the sight of a blindingly white room littered with cardboard boxes.

"Great, how could this get any worse?" Grizzly muttered.

 _Wait… where is our handler?_

A soft groan emanated from the corner of the room. The echelon froze, drawing their weapons. Upon closer inspection, one of the cardboard boxes had a body sprawled over it. Welrod cautiously approached the mass and gave it a swift kick, her weapon drawn. With another groan, the body of a man rolled over to face his attacker, his eyes half open, in his left hand a bottle of whiskey.

"Now what are yew goin on abou'?" Slurred the inebriated soldier.

"Sir, who are you and what are you doing in our dormitory?" Welrod kept her weapon aimed at the man's chest.

The soldier struggled to his feet.

"Left… Leftenant J-James Buk-Buk-Bukowski, I'm your... 'andler." With that the man passed out and collapsed back onto the cardboard box, leaving the echelon terribly confused.


	29. Chapter 29: Handyman

**Chapter 29: Handyman**

"So… are we going to just leave him there or…?" Grizzly had her head tilted, looking down at the crumpled soldier who was snoring loudly on his makeshift bed. "I mean… he looks comfortable."

Welrod shook her head and gave the man another kick. With a snort, the man opened his eyes and looked up at the cross T-Doll. "I'd be mighty pleased if ya'd stop doing tha." Seeing no change in the girl's complexion, Bukowski struggled to his feet, attempting to yet again introduce himself. The man gave a half assed salute.

"Leftenant James Bukowski, I'm your…"

"Yes, yes, you're our handler, now would you like to tell us why a professional idiot like you is drunk on the job?" WA2000 interrupted, the girl glaring at the soldier, who was looking her up and down.

"Ah, T-Doll designation WA2000, I've dealt with your model before… although, I don't recall your make looking so pale." The man rubbed his eyes and squinted.

"Pale?! I'll have you know I'm quite… quite..." the girl swayed, her eyes fluttering for a moment, before collapsing to the floor. The rest of the echelon rushed to her side, Welrod placing her hand to the girl's neck; she was sweating profusely.

"What's wrong with her, Lee? Heat stroke? Fatigue?" Welrod glanced at Lee-Enfield who was searching through her satchel for something to aid the pained girl.

"Wrong on both accounts. I had a feeling she was too pale; that girl needs nourishment," the man said rubbing his chin. Bukowski bent down and picked up a bag that was lying next to his cardboard bed, and then carefully approached the group, motioning for Welrod to move aside. The girl did as she was told, letting the soldier kneel next to her downed teammate.

"Hold her head up would ya?" Welrod followed the man's directions and tilted the girl's head up.

"Right, one of you have any water? A bottle will do." Grizzly approached the man from behind, holding out her canteen over his shoulder.

"That works. Now, you… Blonde hair… green eyes… Model Welrod Mk II? Yes, that's you, I'd recognize that eyebrow raise anywhere. I need you to be ready to hold her down. If she's as picky of an eater as the other models I've treated, then this won't be easy."

The man searched the bag next to him and procured a vial of brown liquid. He gave the vial a shake, causing bubbles to form at the surface of the liquid. He looked at Welrod and gave a nod. The girl braced WA2000 as the man opened the vial and poured the liquid down her throat. The girl thrashed as her system tried to reject the "medicine." However, after a few moments, WA2000 relaxed, and opened her eyes. She glared at Bukowski who was stowing the now empty vial in his pack.

"Idiot, were you trying to drown me?!" WA2000 sputtered as she sat herself up.

"Idiot? I'm not the one refusing to eat and causing a scene. You're lucky I was here, young lady, or you'd be causing your team all sorts of worry." The man slowly rose to his feet.

"I don't need you worrying about me, I can handle myself!" said WA2000 and James in unison, the man adding a mocking tone to his voice.

WA2000, shocked, looked away in a fury, her arms crossed, and her face twisted into a pout.

"Heh, most people hate your attitude, I honestly find it endearing," Bukowski smirked as he turned to Welrod.

Upon closer inspection, Welrod noticed that Bukowski was a much older gentleman than the commander, probably in his late fifties. His face was covered in white-grey whiskers.

"Sir, what did you give WA2000?" Welrod asked as she looked passed the Bukowski at the girl, who was smacking her lips.

"Pure dark chocolate extract. I know this model thrives on chocolate ice cream, and since I don't carry a freezer with meh, that was the best I could do given the circumstances. Since it wasn't milk chocolate I had mah concerns, but she took it rather well, unexpectedly well even."

"So, if you knew that would work, why did you need the canteen?" Welrod asked as she looked at the tin in Bukowski's hand.

"Heh, almost forgot." The man then poured out the water in the canteen, filling it back up with his whiskey. "Needed to keep mah poison cool."

"Hey, asshole! If I had known you'd have done that…!" Grizzly stomped over to Bukowski, who had amused look on his face.

"...you would have decked me in the snozz and then challenged me to a motorcycle race over it? Am I right Grizzly Mk V?" The man took a swig from his new canteen.

Grizzly raised a finger, opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again, thought for a second, then pointed at the man and responded with, "Yes!"

Bukowski laughed as he shook his head, "Your programming makes you all so enjoyably predictable." The man looked back at Welrod. "Anyway, like I said, I'm your 'andler. I'm supposed to keep a close watch on you as decreed by 'His Majesty.'" Welrod could hear Bukowski say something else under his breath, as the man took one last drink and screwed the canteen shut.

"Look man, we don't need someone looking over our shoulder at all times! We can handle ourselves." Calico said, approaching Bukowski. "Thanks for helping WA2000 but go ahead and tell your boss we don't need you!"

"Could be described as a diva, loyal to her friends, not a fan of authority, green hair… How long has it been since you've listened to music?" Bukowski asked, reaching for his back pocket.

"I-uh, a day? Day and a half?" Calico said, looking very confused.

"Explains the extra attitude. Here, this should tide you over. I'm warning you though: my music is very… different." Bukowski handed the girl a little piece of equipment with earphones attached to it. The girl stared blankly at the archaic piece of machinery.

"What the hell is this?" Calico asked, bringing the electronic to her face.

"It's called a Walkman. Believe it or not, it was a big deal back in the day. Go on, Calico, put those earbuds in and press start."

Calico thought for a moment, but begrudgingly set the earbuds in place and pressed the play button. Welrod could hear muffled music playing as Calico slowly bumped her head. The girl wandered over to a cardboard box and sat down, letting the music calm her nerves.

"Ya be careful with that ya hear?" The man smiled as he sat back down on his cardboard bed.

"How… how do you know so much about us Sir?" Welrod asked inquisitively.

"Well Missy, I've worked with T-Dolls for as far back as I can remember, and before that with A-Dolls. In short: I've been around a long time. Plus, it's mah job to know these things." The man spat the words quickly.

 _I can sense there is more to this story, but as we've just met I'll let this slide, for now._

"Anyways, I need ya to tell me as much abou' your squad as you can, I want to know exactly what I'm dealing with, especially that one," The man motioned towards Lee, "I'll admit I don't have experience with her model."

Welrod nodded her head and sat down on the cardboard box in front of Bukowski.

"Well, I suppose I should begin with my first day…"


	30. Chapter 30: Maverick

**Chapter 30: Maverick**

Several hours had passed since the echelon returned to their dorm. The girls had done their best to form makeshift furniture out of the cardboard boxes that were strewn about the otherwise empty room. WA2000 and Lee-Enfield had fashioned a makeshift bed by connecting several of these boxes together and stacking flattened ones in a pile as a sort of pillow. Calico and Grizzly broke off and created what could only be described as a box fort, with the words "No Rifles Allowed" in permanent marker scrawled on the side. Needless to say, their efforts only slightly improved their living conditions.

Welrod, in the meantime, had finished relaying her echelon's story to James Bukowski, who was rubbing his chin, deep in thought. The two sat in silence for a while, until James spoke up.

"You know what intrigues me the most?" the man looked at Welrod, his hands now folded in front of him.

"W-what's that Sir?" Welrod replied, a touch of concern echoing in her voice.

"It's not the amount of battles you have seen in such a short amount of time, nor the suffering that has been inflicted upon you, rather…" the man leaded closer to the girl and whispered, "rather… the fact this echelon is functioning at all is nothing short of an achievement."

"Huh?" Welrod raised an eyebrow.

"What I mean is your personalities just shouldn't mesh as well as they are. In every echelon similar to yours, these Dolls are at one-another's throats within months. Calico and whoever is designated team lead are fighting for the namesake, while Grizzly is off doing her own thing. WA2000 is causing trouble not only in the echelon but around the base, and Lee-Enfield, well, Lee just isn't a part of echelons like this."

The man paused and glanced over at the two rifle dolls laying siege to Grizzly and Calico's box fort.

"I'm starting to think that whoever put this group together, has more of an understanding of how T-Doll personalities work than even I do, and that is truly a feat. Who did you say your commander was again?"

"Eric Blair, Sir."

"I see…"

Silence again enveloped the two, the only sound being the battle erupting in the background as Grizzly and Calico attempted to defend their new home. Bukowski was drumming his fingers on his leg, his face resembling a philosopher trying to find an answer to the meaning of life itself. After a while, Welrod broke the silence between the two.

"So, now that you know all about us, where do we go from here?" Welrod asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

Sucked back to reality, James cracked his knuckles. "Well, I suppose the first thing is to explain to you what my job specifically entails. As I said earlier, I am your echelon's 'andler. I am to report to Commander Archibald anything that he deems 'unsatisfactory.' Considering that list is fourteen pages long I simplified that list to one sentence: 'Don't be a dick,' my definition of dick being..." the man smirked, "lenient."

"W-well, I am certain we can live up to your-" Welrod stammered.

"Now, now, before you start kissing m'feet, I hope you realize that just because I won't let the Commander know about some of the going ons here doesn't mean I am going to be easy on you lot."

Suddenly, a nasally voice cut over the radio.

"Leftenant Bukowski, requesting Leftenant Bukowski." It was Clarence.

"Aye this is James Bukowski, what of it?" James replied, the annoyance in his voice unrestrained.

"Don't use that tone with me, I have the commander's utmost respect! I only need ask to have you removed from your position and left on the street where we found you!" shot back Clarence.

"As if I could forget. I assume you're telling me to release the girls to dinner?" Bukowski said through gritted teeth.

"At least your drinking hasn't addled your brain too much. Yes, the androids can stock up on enhancement pills." Clarence voice cut to static as the line was dropped.

The older gentleman sighed as he opened "his" canteen and took a swig. "Well Welrod you heard the pencil pusher, get your echelon together." The soldier got up and walked towards the door, leaning up against the wall next to it.

"Alright ladies, we are going to dinner. You can play siege after we get back." Welrod chuckled as she walked towards the door.

Three of the four T-Dolls laid down their arms and walked begrudgingly to the door, WA2000 lingering behind.

"I am NOT going to dinner Welrod. That commander can shove those pills up his-"

"That's a warning missy, I shouldn't have to remind you how impolite it is to speak to people like that." The man hid his face a bit and quietly added, "even if they deserve it."

"WA-chan come on! I know it sucks but you need your energy!" Calico called out.

Silence followed as the girl remained in her shelter. Bukowski sighed as he cracked his knuckles again.

"Alright you lot, go on ahead and attend dinner. I'll be right behind you with Miss Fussy."

Welrod and company complied and exited the room, the echelon making their way down the crowded halls towards their "feast." Looking back, Welrod could see WA2000 being dragged out the door by her collar.

The two bickering individuals quickly caught up to the rest of the echelon, WA2000 looking embarrassed while James had a look of exasperation on his face.

"S-stop! I'm going, I'm going!" WA2000 pouted. She was trying to pull away from the man's grip, and probably would have, were it not for her being so fatigued.

"Aye, you are. It took me dragging you out by the nape of your neck to get you going. Now young lady, you're going to eat your supper this time aren't ya?" The man looked down at the girl sternly.

"F-fine! I'm not going to enjoy it if that's what you think." WA2000 noticed Calico and Grizzly snickering and glared at them.

"As for you two…" James gave both handgun Dolls a bop on the back of their heads. "Eyes forward."

"Ouch! Ok, ok, we get it!" Grizzly said, rubbing the back of her head.

James smiled a bit as he fell back to the rear of the column, picking up conversation with Lee-Enfield. Welrod looked around at the other teams following them; they were about as jovial as they had been after training.

 _Hopefully dinner will be more serviceable than breakfast this morning._


	31. Chapter 31: Feast or Famine

**Chapter 31: Feast or Famine**

The train of dolls and handlers slowly filed into the already cramped dining hall. Echelon 3 made a move for their usual haunt, only to find it reserved. In fact, all of the tables were marked as reserved. At each seat were placards displaying the names of what Welrod hoped were important individuals. Calico attempted to sit down, but a fat officer grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.

"Oi Android! This seating is for humans only. We have assigned you a place to eat over there!" The man pointed a pudgy finger at the corner of the room, where groups of T-Dolls were huddled together on the floor, popping their ration of enhancement pills into their mouths.

"You're forcing us to eat there?! Are you out of your fu-"Calico's mouth was quickly covered by James.

"Right Sir, sorry about the mistake. We'll be on our way," James replied as Calico continued her muffled rant.

"Ya know for a handler, you're doing a shit job of keeping these androids under control," the fat officer smirked.

"And for a military policeman, you're doing a shit job of staying in shape," Bukowski retorted as he led the girls to their designated. The MP narrowed his eyes at James, but didn't retort, rather storming off towards the buffet line, prepared to gorge himself on whatever Springfield had slaved away making.

"Who was that prick?" Grizzly asked with a grimace, as she glanced over his shoulder, spying the MP eating a slice of cake with his bare hands, bits of frosting covering his poorly kept face.

"Tha' glutton would be Larry, our head of security. If any of you get into trouble he's the one you'll be dealing with. I shouldn't have to tell you to avoid that at all costs."

The echelon found an empty spot on the ground and formed a circle, preparing themselves for the "feast" that awaited them.

"Sir, who are those seats reserved for?" Welrod asked. Her eyes were still scanning the names of the reserved seats, spotting dukes, duchesses, officers, and government officials.

"Those seats are for our commander's self-esteem team. The man has quite the following, for what reason I don't know. If I had to bet my left arm I'd say his lineage. The man holds a gatherin for his fan club three times weekly, which means you girls will be sitting on the floor…"

"...Three times weekly." Welrod finished his sentence, expelling a gust of air out her nostrils in a bout of frustration.

"Now if tha' were the worst of it, I'd say suck it up and be merry, however his fans, like most of his staff, don't take kindly to you girls. So expect a random comment about ye hair or your body weight et cetera. Don't hold it against em, they don't know any better. If they did, you'd have em eating right ou' of your hand. You're the ones keeping them fine and fancy free after all!" The man attempted to smile, but Welrod could sense the contempt in his voice.

The echelon continued to "enjoy" their meal as the dining hall began to fill with a plethora of fancy folk. Gentlemen in finely tailored suits escorted ladies in flowing dresses; each pair finding and sitting down at their designated chair. One couple, a man in a military uniform, his arm around the waists of a woman in a blue dress approached Echelon 3 as they were eating.

"Excuse me Sir, my wife and I saw you sitting here alone, and we though it right to invite you to join us for supper." The man, who sported a curly moustache, grinned and stretched out his hand towards James.

"I'm alright Sir, not a fan of the finer things in life anyway." Bukowski replied.

Offended, the man frowned and stormed off, his wife in tow, the latter leaving a snooty "hmph." Welrod smiled on the inside; her echelon had at least one ally remaining at Sector 78.

"WA2000, you're not eating your supper!" James had switched his attention to WA2000 whose bag of pills had remained unopened.

"I'm not eating it! It's vile!" The girl stuck her tongue out at James, who let out an exasperated sigh.

"Alright, it's your choice. I had a surprise for you if you'd finished it, but seeing as though you won't, I'll give it to Lee-"the man reached for his pocket, while WA2000's eyes snapped towards the extended digits.

"What surprise?" The girl crossed her arms and shifted a bit.

"A surprise dummy, I cannot tell you now can I? I'll give you a hint though: it's your favorite thing in the whole world."

The girl's eyes lit up, her face growing red, as she ripped open the bag of pills and began devouring them a handful at a time. Bukowski leaned back and stretched, the joints in his spine cracking.

While this was happening, a commotion behind the echelon drew the attention of Welrod and Lee. An old woman was loudly complaining to a man in a crimson G&K business suit about FNC attempting to steal one of her tarts.

"This thief, this ruffian, this… fiend was going to make off with one of my deserts! I want this android punished!" The woman pointed her gnarled finger at the poor little girl, who was sobbing and attempting to apologize, but all that came out was: "S-s-s…"

"Is this thing defective? No wonder it acts on such primitive impulses!"

The businessman lunged for FNC's arm, only to miss as the girl darted towards the door, her path directly behind the Echelon 3. The girl passed them, the man not far behind. Just as he got close, James rose from his seat on the ground and began walking towards the food table. This action caused the businessman to collide with Bukowski, knocking both of them to the floor.

"You idiot! Look what you've done," the businessman spat as he got to his feet.

"Sorry Clint, I was going to get meeself some whiskey, and I didn't see you running this way. You should be careful, lot of dangerous things you could run into, 'specially round here." James, a full head higher, towered over the shorter man, however, Clint didn't back down.

"You've got quite the nerve to drink on the job. Although, you have always had the nerve haven't you James." Clint stared up at James, the two engaged in non-verbal warfare. Silence filled the hall, as even the guests stopped and observed the event.

Clint blinked first, and backed down. However, as he walked away, the man took a glance at the echelon and let out one last remark.

"Quite the echelon choice James. I can only imagine why you chose them," Clint then turned curtly back towards the dining hall tables.

James tensed up, and clenched his fists. However, after a second or two he let out a sigh and sat back down, the echelon staring at him with faces of curiosity and concern.

"Sir… who's Clint?" Welrod asked, watching the businessman slowly approach Commander Archibald's table.

"Clint is the main financial backer in England for G&K. Thirty-five percent of military collateral comes out of his pocket. He served with me during the last Great War, and shortly thereafter. We weren't friends really, but we certainly weren't enemies. Nowadays, not so much."

The man then glanced over at WA2000 who was sitting triumphant over an empty bag of pills.

"Well look at you! A promise is a promise, here you go my dear." The man handed WA2000 a folded piece of paper. Curiously the girl opened it, and her face suddenly turned sour as she looked up and glared at James.

"What the hell is this?!" WA2000 spat turning the paper towards her teammates. It was a half folded sticky note with a dollar sign written in black ink.

"Firstly: Language young lady. Secondly: that's your surprise. I call them J-Bucks; if you stay in line, follow my orders, and act _appropriately_ ," the man stared directly at WA2000 who folded her arms and pouted, "you receive a J-Buck. Earn enough, and you can convince me to use some of my pay to purchase myself some… "exotic" fare. Like, chocolate ice cream for example."

"This is so childish," WA2000 said, but Welrod noticed the girl silently tuck the J-Buck into her pocket for safe-keeping.

"I don't know about that, sounds kinda fun! Hey if I earn enough can I get a new motorcycle!" Grizzly leaned forward, grinning madly.

"I-uh, s-sure." Bukowski stammered.

"Alright bossman! I'll get my baby back in no time flat!" Grizzly said pumping her fist.

"Attention all androids and handlers. Your dinner is over. Report to your dormitories at once. Curfew begins in half an hour." Clarence's obnoxious voice cut through the din of the crowd, his order forcing the girls to their feet.

"Sleep now? It's only 8:30!" Calico exclaimed, staring at her watch.

"Aye it is. You girls will need your rest for tomorrow. Archibald's missions are not for the weak, so you'll need every ounce of sleep you can muster." James herded the girl's out of the dining hall and back out to their dorm.

 _I hope FNC is alright, she's a sweet girl… did I really just make a pun? Good lord I've been spending too much time with Calico._

The girls opened the door to their room and settled in for the evening. WA2000 and Lee had made off with plenty of loot: Calico and Grizzly's fortress was now only half built. The two snipers nestled on top of their pile of cardboard as the two defeated handgun dolls retreated into their abode. Welrod grabbed a solitary piece of cardboard, and noticed James leaning himself against the wall.

"Sir, don't you need a place to sleep?" The girl asked.

"Nah, I'll just rest me eyes over here. Don't worry about me." The man smiled as he sat down with his back against the wall.

Welrod, ashamed to admit she was glad he refused the offer but appreciative that he did, made herself as comfortable as she could afford, and drifted off, her mind piecing together what past James Bukowski was hiding.


	32. Chapter 32: Mall Cop

**Chapter 32: Mall Cop**

A blaring raid siren awoke Welrod abruptly from her slumber. The girl frantically searched for her pistols while. Grizzly and Calico burst through their cardboard wall, weapons drawn. Lee was dragging WA2000 to her feet, the girl fighting to stay grounded. Grasping blindly in the darkness, Welrod's hand finally felt the cold steel of the pistol she was named after. The girl snatched up her weapon and rushed over to Bukowski, who was still slumped against the wall.

"Sir, wake up! We're under attack!" The girl was shaking the soldier, attempting to get any response.

Bukowski stirred a bit, and then slightly opened one eye. "Air raid siren?" The man paused, then shut his eye, "Give it a second." The man then rolled to his left and fell back asleep.

"Sir! We need to go now!" The rest of the echelon was now behind her, drowsy, but prepared and awaiting orders.

"So… do we just leave him or..?" Grizzly asked sleepily. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the siren was abruptly shut off. A nasally voice spoke over the compound intercom.

"This was the hourly test of our air raid siren. We would like to thank you for participating. Orders will be delivered to your handlers within the half-hour."

Clarence signed off of the intercom with a burst of static. The girls looked at one another, incredulous.

"H-he said hourly right? Like, he actually said hourly?" Grizzly was rubbing her eyes; she was never one to get up extremely early.

"I keep telling myself it can't get any worse… I should really stop doing that." Lee said, silently shaking her head.

"You really should!" WA2000 glared at Lee; as grumpy as she could be during the day, lack of rest amplified that personality trait tremendously.

"Is there no end to this literal hell?" Calico yelled as she gave the wall she was standing next to a swift kick.

"Girls… please… trying to sleep over here." A groan emanated from James, who was attempting to shield his ears from the excess noise.

"Right, sorry Sir." Welrod whispered, as she motioned for the other girls to keep their voices down.

" _Gasps,_ Calico! What did you do?!" Lee-Enfield stared in horror at the panel Calico had kicked, now laying on the floor, revealing a large empty hole in the wall.

"Shhh! We can fix this! Grizzly, help me out would ya?" Together, Calico and Grizzly carefully laid the panel back over the hole, covering the mistake.

"See? Good as new!" Calico gave the wall a slight tap with her foot, causing the panel to collapse again.

"Learning lessons from Lee aren't you Calico?" WA2000 said in a snarky tone.

"Hey, it's fine! So long as no one touches it, the panel won't… hey wait a minute." Calico stuck her head in the gap in the wall, a whistle echoing in the chamber.

"Girls, I think I found ourselves a little hiding spot! Check it out!"

Welrod approached the wall and stuck her head in. The space wasn't very large; only a few feet in diameter. However, it was large enough to store small treats and other goodies. Welrod nodded her head in approval.

"Alright girls, I 'ave your orders on my pager. Let's go over what you're doing today." James had appeared behind them, making them jump.

"U-uh Sir, it's not what it looks like!" Welrod stammered as the other girls attempted to shield the hole with their bodies.

"What on God's green Earth are you going on abou'? Just simmer down and listen to your orders eh?" The man raised an eyebrow, staring blankly at the girls, each wearing a look of panic on their face.

 _Is he really that oblivious to the giant hole in the wall?_

The girls relaxed, Welrod letting out a sigh of relief.

"Right then… today's missions are going to be duel operations." The man turned to Welrod and Grizzly, "You two will be operating in King's Park under the supervision of Larry. He will be assisting you in endurance training."

"Why did it have to be him…?" Grizzly moaned as she covered her face. Welrod grimaced; this was not going to be a pleasant day.

"Lee and WA2000, you will be manning the compound walls for the day. Don't be surprised if Sangvis makes a move; they've been quiet for far too long."

"As long as I'm not forced to use Lee's stupid rifle, whatever." WA2000 said, folding her arms.

"Abou' tha'" The man looked at WA2000, who narrowed her eyes and stormed off, realizing what she was being forced to do.

Calico, who had been silent during the briefing, spoke up.

"Hey Bukowski, you forgot me!"

The man tensed up. Welrod had never seen the man look as uncomfortable as he did now.

"I-uh… well… I suppose you will have to work with me then. We are going to do maintenance on the perimeter fences."

"Ugh, fine… really lame though." Calico frowned, but eventually shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head.

"Ok, you girls know your orders. WA2000 and Lee report to the armory to suit up. Welrod and Grizzly, meet up with Larry in his office on the second floor. I will see you all later this evening. Calico, if you could help me with these documents real quick."

"I'm actually gonna hurl," Grizzly whined as she grabbed Welrod by the shoulder and walked towards the door. The girl glanced back at James and Calico, the former doing his best to distance himself from the girl.

 _I wonder what's troubling James? Calico didn't do anything wrong, did she? No, don't think about that now, focus on the mission. Grizzly and I got this. What's the worst a tubby policeman can do?_

As the girls made their way up the stairs, the siren started up again. The whining noise pierced their eardrums as they reached the top and walked down two corridors to the security office. The girls stopped in front of the heavily reinforced doors, ringing the buzzer to announce their arrival.

" _Sluuuuuurp…_ come in," a muffled voice rang out through the receiver. The familiar tone of the door unlocking chimed as Welrod led the way through the door.

A disaster would be a kind term to describe the sight Welrod laid her eyes upon. Littering the floor were dozens of wrappers of various sweets, ranging from Twinkies to chocolate bars. On the shelf to the right was a soda machine, with twelve different flavors, and a shelf housing cups to fill, the smallest size being 32 oz. The smell was the worst part however: a scent of moldy cheese and wet gym sock doused in corn chips. It took all of the girl's willpower to stay composed. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Grizzly, who recoiled in horror while holding her mouth.

"Oi, you two! C'mere." The fat MP, who had turned around to face them in his swivel chair, beckoned them forward. His index finger curled towards his chest, the tip covered in powdered cheese. The girls hesitantly stepped up, huddling closer to one another to feel safer.

"You must be uh… Grazer and uh… Welord. What kind of names are those anyway?" The man said glancing down at his notes, covered in soda stains.

"Yessir, we are." Grizzly muttered.

 _No point arguing our names I suppose._

"Right, I'm assuming Bukowski told you what we're doing. Now, follow me, we are moving out." The portly man leaned back, and launched himself to his feet. He waddled up to and passed the girls, exiting the door behind them.

"Welrod, if he even gets within three feet of me, I'm going to lose it." The girl looked at Welrod, absolute horror plastered on her face.

"It's alright Grizzly, this will be over before you know it. Come on, we can do this!" The girl gave her comrade a comforting smile, but in truth she was just as concerned.

Together, the two girls exited the room, dreading the exercises they were about to undergo.


	33. Chapter 33: A Familiar Face

**Chapter 33: A Familiar Face**

A bead of sweat slid down Welrod's face. The day was one of the hottest on record: reaching the low thirties in degrees centigrade. The two girls had been standing in that heat, motionless, for the past five hours. This was their "endurance training." Welrod shifted her eyes to Grizzly, who looked like she was going to faint. The girl attempted to reach her hand to wipe the sweat off her face.

"Oi! No movin! I got orders from the commander himself to keep you two still for the rest of the day… by any means necessary." Larry smirked, patting the tazer he had strapped to his waist. He then sat down in his lawn chair and continued devouring the ice cream sundae he had purchased from the refreshment stand.

Welrod locked her arms back to her sides, the hatred burning inside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a family approaching her and Grizzly.

 _Don't make eye contact. If you don't make eye contact they won't bother you. Just stare straight ahead and focus on your breathing. You got this Welrod!_

"Mummy! Can I go and touch the statue?!" A little girl yelled.

 _Piss._

"Oh no dear, that's not a statue, that's an android. I'm sure if you ask the policeman nicely he would consider letting you look at the robot." The woman looked at Larry, who put on his best fake smile.

"Absolutely young lady! I'd be more than happy to let you have a look." The man then glanced at the T-Dolls with a smirk.

The little girl ran up to Welrod first, tugging at her skirt for a bit, before pulling on her arm. The little girl then lifted her skirt and hid underneath it. Welrod was doing everything in her power to remain calm, but she was losing her patience, fast. Luckily for her sanity, but not for Grizzly's, the little girl moved on and danced around the other pistol doll, doing much of the same. Welrod could see Grizzly's legs beginning to shake. After what seemed like years, the little girl had had enough and wandered back to her mother, and the family continued their Sunday stroll.

Larry looked back at the two girls. "I'm impressed, I thought at least one of ye would have snapped that little girl's pretty neck." The MP sat up in his chair and sipped out of his soda cup. His face twisted into one of dissatisfaction as he realized that it was empty.

"Oi, I gotta go deal with a personal matter. If I come back and you two have moved even an inch, I'll be more than happy to sick Beatrice on ye!" The man took the tazer from his belt and made a short stabbing motion. With a laugh, Larry waddled off to the concession stand, for the fifth time that day.

 _How does that bastard even have that much money to buy that much junk?_

"Welrod… I… I can't do this," Grizzly whispered. The girl was looking very pale.

"But how? Your system should be cooling itself." Welrod whispered back.

"Earlier I moved and got shocked remember? I-I think my system is suffering a coolant malfunction."

As Welrod looked closer, she could see that Grizzly wasn't sweating.

"Grizzly, just hang in there, we are almost done-"

"Should you girls really be talking right now?"

Welrod and Grizzly froze. The two shot glances at one another as their bodies tensed up. Welrod sensed whomever caught them approaching from behind. She watched as the figure passed and stood in front of her, with its back turned. The figure was a man who was sporting jeans, a collared shirt, and boating shoes. She could see the tips of aviator sunglasses resting on top of his head.

"Well, you've already broken silence, you might as well stick with it…" The man turned around.

"Right, Miss Welrod?"

"Eri-"Welrod began shouting her commander's name, but Eric Blair stopped her with a quiet, "shh."

"Keep it down Wells, don't want you getting caught! It's so good to see you two again. I know it hasn't been too long, but it feels like an eternity!" The Commander smiled.

"We've missed you too Sir, every single one of us!" The girl was absolutely elated to see another friendly face, especially after what had been happening back at the base.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now… not to sour the mood, but I've heard that the base…"

"...its awful Bossman, we need you back!" Grizzly replied weakly.

The man turned to face the girl, his face draining. "Oh god Grizzly! You're overheating! Here, drink this." The man took a quick glance around before handing a water bottle to the girl, who guzzled down the sweet ambrosia.

"I suppose the rumors aren't unfounded then." Eric continued as he kept his head on a swivel, in case he had to make a hasty retreat.

Satisfied, Grizzly returned the bottle to Eric. Welrod could tell that even that short reprieve had strengthened her resolve.

"Sir, Grizzly's right. We need you back. Archibald has no idea what he's doing." Welrod pleaded.

Eric shook his head. "I'm sorry girls, but I can't. The half a dozen letters, emails, and phone calls I've made hasn't improved my situation. Even John can't get me back in command. T-there's just nothing I can do." The man then had a thought, "but perhaps there's something you girls can do. If you can bring enough evidence to Helian, I'm certain the woman would come down and have a talk with good old Archie."

The man looked over his shoulder, spying Larry rushing over to the entourage.

"I guess this is where I leave you. Send my regards to the rest of the echelon and the base. I am so proud of every one of you." Eric smiled, giving Grizzly a head nod and Welrod a little wink.

"Oi! You get away from those. That's G&K property!" Larry had finally gotten within earshot of the group. The man was almost doubled over, panting heavily.

"You, Sir! You dare sully my honor?! Do you know who you address! Why I'm Archduke Carmichael, Lord of Rivendale!" Eric Blair had begun one of his performances; Welrod couldn't keep herself from snickering.

"I don't care who you are, just get the hell outa here!" Larry waved his hands, shooing off the commander, who quite happily obliged.

Shaking his head, Larry turned his attention back to the girls. "Heh, now that I've got my soda refilled, you two better be ready for another four hours of this." Larry said as he slumped into his chair.

 _Oh, we are ready, Sir. With Eric's support we can do anything. We aren't the ones who should be prepared, as now we know how to bring your commander's short reign to an end._


	34. Chapter 34: Agent 002

**Chapter 34: Agent 002**

 _Corridor B takes me directly to the commander's office; it also plants me in the path of four security patrols. Damn, why is his security so tight?_

Welrod was laying on the floor, blueprints of the compound strewn around her, attempting to formulate the most discreet path to her objective. Alongside those documents were descriptions of security personnel courtesy of James, who had kindly provided his contempt for his co-workers, whether out of choice or the generous donation of whiskey on her behalf.

"If I take Corridor C, my route would take me past Kalina's office, or I suppose it's now Clarence's office. He never leaves the room unless Archibald sends for him, and that hallway has only one patrol, so this might be the answer I'm looking for! Now who patrols that hallway?" The girl then picked up the description of the security guard. "Bugger, Frank "The Tank" Hamilton: a monster for more than just his size. Served seven years as chief of security for Archibald's staff, until pressuring from G&K forced the commander to remove him for his… cruel and unusual punishment... blimey."

The girl looked back at the blueprint. "The hallway is a straight shot, and there are no other adjoining corridors I need to be concerned with, but there aren't any places to hide, nowhere to duck into cover. If I'm caught I'm fresh out of luck, and if Frank's description is accurate then… bloody hell, this won't do either."

"Why are you so weird?" Welrod looked up from the map; WA2000's face stared down at her. "Lee! Welrod is talking to herself again!"

"She's just Blairing again, leave her be WA-Chan." Lee-Enfield called out from her perch on a cardboard box. She was busily re-reading "Springtime Cooking," a collection of recipes done up by Springfield herself.

Put out, WA2000 wandered off, and Welrod returned her attention to her intelligence.

"Ok, so corridors B and C are off the table that just leaves corridor A. There's a three-way intersection halfway down the hall that connects to the library, command center, and the commander's office. So, while I will be able to avoid Hank, that still leaves me with three other guards to work around, thankfully there seems to be more cover to use; a few utility closets I could slip into. Now, who patrols those three branching paths…?"

Welrod searched through her notebook for the three soldiers James described to her. One after another, she tore out their descriptions and set them side by side.

"Based on James's intelligence, Reginald, Harry, and Oz are the operators in this part of the facility. Oz is a lazy individual, so he usually cuts his patrol route short of the intersection, which keeps him out of the picture. Harry and Reginald patrol the hallways to the commander's office and the library respectively, and tend to get into a conversation as their patrol forces them to meet up at the intersection. The only way to avoid them is to… of course! If I can slip into the utility closet closer to the commander's office, I can slip passed Reginald and once the two strike up a conversation enter the office, brilliant!" The girl pumped her fist, causing the rest of the echelon to stare at her.

"Oh, sorry ladies." Welrod mumbled.

 _I know that Archibald holds his meetings from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm, so that should be my window of opportunity, but how am I going to slip in and out unnoticed? The buzzer will still sound if I open the door._

The air raid siren going off, announcing the new hour answered her question.

 _That's it! I'll use the sound of the siren to mask myself entering and leaving the facility. Ok, at 9:30 pm tonight I'll leave the dorm and make my way down the hall, use the utility closet to hide from the two guards, slip into the office under the cover of the siren, and leave the same way. Foolproof!_

"It's time for the Duchess to make her move."

That evening, Welrod performed her operation to the letter. The girl slipped out of her dorm, passed the two security guards, and entered Archibald's office making off with several combat reports, the plan being to alter them enough to turn heads at G&K headquarters. Exposing these falsified documents for the lies they were would certainly force Helian to show her face, and depose the mad despot in power.

The girl ran this mission for several nights, each time successfully sneaking past the two officers, although it would be a mistake to call it a flawless mission every time. There was a point three nights in where she was narrowly caught as Reginald had increased his walking pace, reaching the intersection a minute earlier than Welrod was prepared for. The girl dove into the utility closet as the man slowly passed by. A little voice whispered behind her.

"Miss Wewrob, coulb you pwease get off my foot?"

The girl whirled around, her pistol drawn, to see FNC standing behind her, her mouth covered in melted chocolate and a half eaten bar in her hand. Seeing a pistol barrel in her face so suddenly caused the girl to squeak in surprise as she dropped her chocolate bar.

"You scared me half to death FNC, what are you doing out so late?" Welrod inquired, as she stowed her pistol.

"Eating swees!" FNC bent down to grab her sweet off the floor.

 _I can barely understand what this girl is saying. Didn't anyone teach her to not talk with food in her mouth?_

"What abou' you?"

Welrod paused, she couldn't tell the girl what she was doing, what if she were caught and told who she had seen?

"I… I'm going for a stroll."

 _There is no way she's going to buy that._

"Oh, ok." FNC smiled as she carefully opened the door and ran down the hallway back to her dormitory.

 _...Crisis averted. Where did she get that chocolate anyway?_

Welrod followed FNC out and continued her mission, entering the office and grabbing not only combat reports, but also a catalogue of purchases for Sector 78, none of which were military related. Archibald certainly had an eye for the fancy things in life.

A week after her run in with FNC, the girl had slowly built up intelligence, replaced combat reports, and tracked the flow of funds for the facility. Calico pointed out they could use their hiding spot as a place to store Welrod's intelligence. The girl agreed, but secretly she felt she needed a safeguard in case she were caught. Welrod carved out a second compartment, hoping that if their hiding spot was discovered, Archibald and his entourage wouldn't have the patience or foresight to look closer.

On the topic of material, the girls were more than pleased to see what Welrod had come up with. Lee figures that one more intelligence run could seal Archibald's fate. That evening she was switching out combat reports in the commander's office, as she he had done so many times before, the muffled conversation of Archibald and his entourage from next door breaking the silence of the room. Just as Welrod was replacing her last file, the girl heard something from the other room that caught her attention.

"What I find so adorable, is how these androids believe they're human. If only they could get it through their processors that they were tailor made to serve us, nothing more," Archibald stated. Responses of agreement followed his assertion.

 _What an absolutely abhorrent dobber!_

"What say you, James?"

Welrod froze.

 _James?_

The girl moved towards the door and pressed her ear against it, listening in on the conversation, her interest peaked.

"Well Sir, I agree with you to an extent that T-Dolls were made to serve humanity, but I also believe that they deserve more credit than we give them. Programmed or not, they have thoughts and emotions, and we have to respect that." Bukowski's voice answered.

Welrod smiled.

"They'll never be human James. No matter how much you want them to be, how much you wanted IT to be," Clint's voice replied to Bukowski's statement.

 _Wait… who are they talking about?_

"Don't you dare talk about her," Bukowski growled.

"Talk about what? The android you put before your fellow man? The seaweed brained bitch and its entourage that let our men die that day, and every day before that. That IT? What was its name again…? Oh, that's right, Calico!"

"Don't say her name," James murmured. Welrod could tell that Bukowski was near his breaking point, even with the door in between them.

"Or was it Cally? That's what you called IT isn't it? I wasn't surprised you chose Echelon 3. You wanted to be closer to those machines again; you wanted to be closer to IT again. After all these years, you still haven't come to terms with your mistake. If it were war you'd drop everything to help your little tinker toys, fuck your own kind right?" Clint continued to rail on James, his words filled with venom. Welrod heard the sound of wood scraping against the tile floor.

"You don't know a damn thing Clint. Those four girls were all we could afford. We needed to protect them if we were to survive as a PMC!" James' voice had risen.

"Oh I know enough, and I've seen enough. Listen to yourself! 'We needed to protect them to survive,' that fucking shit excuse sounds just as bad as it did back then. We would have managed just fine, as we did in the war. But you couldn't help yourself. So many men were lost because you were too weak to face the truth," Clint yelled, matching James' volume.

"Now, now gentlemen, let's be civilized about this. While James's opinions are… unorthodox, he is still a fine engineer, and he's still human. Now, Clint, James, sit back down and enjoy your meal." Archibald calmly said.

The scraping sound returned as the clinking of silverware began to fill the air. Hearing enough, Welrod slowly backed away from the door and moved for the office exit.

She was reaching for the door, when suddenly, Welrod heard James roar with rage and the subsequent clatter of silverware resonate in the next room. A scuffle was heard as men were shouting, attempting to get things under control.

"James! Drop the knife this instant you Neanderthal!" Archibald shrieked, his normally confident voice panicked. More struggling was heard as James yelled at his aggressor.

"You fookin' say that again and I'll slit your throat, you hear me!?"

Welrod could hear loud thumps, like meat being tenderized as the sound of struggle died down. Archibald next statement indicated he had regained his composure.

"Men, remove Mr. Bukowski from the office immediately and return him to his dormitory. I want guards outside his door around the clock."

The sound of footsteps approached the door, causing Welrod to run back and hurl herself underneath the commander's desk. The door opened, shining a light on the dark room. The girl saw three pairs of legs, two standing and one being dragged walk passed the desk and out the front door.

"Apologies, gentlemen. Now, how about we discuss the tragic failure of Gallipoli, and how if it weren't for those damn colonials we would have carved the Ottoman Empire like a cake."

The door to the other room closed, as Welrod slowly got to her feet.

 _Bloody hell, after that mess, guards are going to be waiting outside my dorm when I get back… and I can't stay here can I? Utility closet old chap, time to use you one more time._

The girl waited for the hourly siren to begin and opened the door. She quickly ran over to the closet and threw herself inside, curling up in a corner to get as much rest as she could.

 _I should have enough intelligence to pin down that weasel, but I have no way of getting it to Helian. Not yet anyway. James obviously knew a Calico, maybe there's a way I can convince him to help us… leave that for tomorrow._


	35. Chapter 35: Crime and Punishment

**Chapter 35: Crime and Punishment**

The sound of the air raid siren woke Welrod from her short slumber. Drowsily, the girl looked at her watch: it was 9:00 am.

 _Shit, I've got to move._

In a panic, the girl scrambled to her feet and opened the utility closet door. She looked down the hall both ways, before stepping out and running back towards her dormitory. If she was lucky, Welrod could meld in with the crowd on its way back from breakfast. The girl hastened her pace, and turned the corner, where she was greeted by the site of a hallway packed with T-Dolls, their handlers, and security personnel. However, they weren't coming back from breakfast, rather they were all standing outside her dormitory. Pushing her way through the crowd, she reached the front of the mass of flesh and metal and entered her dormitory.

In front of her were the rest of the echelon, on their knees in front of Commander Archibald, Clarence, and Clint. James was sitting by himself in one of the far corners of the room his head hanging. The man looked up and spotted Welrod; he was battered and beaten, wearing a black eye as a reminder for his outburst the night before. The man slowly shook his head, and carefully raised an arm, motioning for her to get out while she still could. But it was too late.

"Sir, I found the lost android." Clint turned to face the girl, a smirk on his face.

Commander Archibald whirled around, his face red with fury. "I gave you strict orders! No personal belongings. What do my men find? A hidden compartment filled to the brim with human belongings! You dare disobey my orders? I'm the commander! You listen to me!" The man approached Welrod staring directly into her eyes, his finger pointed at her core.

"I've picked you out from day one as trouble! Well android, you'd best be prepared, because punishment will be dealt unto you and your miserable excuse of an Echelon. You can only blame yourself! But before that: men, remove their belongings… and burn them." Archibald walked out of the room, the crowd of T-Dolls parting to let the man through. All Welrod could do is watch as one by one, the hole was emptied, and the items that showed that last tiny glimpse of humanity were turned to ash. The girl looked away as her jacket, the one the kind old landlord had given to her, disintegrated.

Once the hole had been cleared out, Archibald's men proceeded out the door, dispersing the crowd of gathered T-Dolls. The echelon was left in complete silence, stewing in their own fury. Welrod saw James lower his head again. After a moment, Calico rose to her feet, and let out a scream.

"That bastard! Why won't he leave us the fuck alone?!" The girl punched one of the walls repeatedly, tearing the skin from her knuckles. She then turned to James, who was avoiding the echelon completely.

"And you! If you weren't reprimanded for whatever drunken stupor you were in we would have had time to hide our spot, but no. Archibald's toadies kicked down the damn door and caught us red handed. It's a good thing Welrod had the foresight to cut out that other compartment, or everything we prepared for would have been burned with the rest of our stuff!" Calico stormed off, sat down on a cardboard box, and tried to cool off.

"I-I'm sorry Calico. I-I just… I didn't intend for- "James stammered.

"Tell Bukowski I don't want to hear his shit excuses Welrod!" Calico yelled, as she shifted her body around to keep James out of her peripheral vision.

Welrod looked back at the man, who was shaking, as he turned his back on the echelon and pulled something out of his pocket.

Lee-Enfield walked up to Welrod, her eyes red. She had never seen Lee so shaken up before.

"S-so, w-where do we go from here," Lee asked.

"We still have the combat reports and other intel don't we? We can still beat that twat at his own game. We just need a bit more time." Welrod said, giving the best smile she could under the circumstances.

"More time?!" WA2000 piped up.

"Welrod, look what waiting just a bit longer has gotten us! All we have left are our weapons, and the clothes off our backs. Those will probably be taken too!" WA2000 was pacing back and forth. "And what's so good about intelligence if we can't get it to the right people!"

"WA2000 is right boss, I don't know how much more of this I can take. I want to believe you, but…" Grizzly said weakly. She hadn't moved from her spot since the security guards left.

"No, we can't give up now, not when we are this close to finishing that imbecile! What would Commander Eric Blair do if he were in our position right now," Welrod asked.

The echelon was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the fluorescent lamps and Calico's incessant stomping. Finally Lee spoke up.

"If the Commander was here, he'd probably give one of his cheesy, over the top speeches, which would somehow calm my nerves and steel my resolve. He would urge us to persevere to the end."

"What Lee said, though he'd probably do something really weird and really British too, like compare our struggle to some old British war story or something," Grizzly replied, a bit of a grin on her face.

"Eric would want us to fight on, to not let one action of some pompous prick keep us from succeeding. What would he think if he saw us throwing in the towel? We don't want to disappoint the commander do we?" Welrod looked at her friends, each one thinking over what they should do.

"No, no I don't." Lee said, as she looked up at Welrod with a look of confidence in her face.

"If not disappointing the Commander means sticking it to that pompous asshole, then I'm still game. That dude owes me a motorcycle!" Grizzly cracked her knuckles, sharing the determined look Lee wore.

"They're both idiots, but at least Blair didn't take all of my ice cream, or my water bed. Fine, I'll keep going, but don't get the idea I like him either!" WA2000 looked away.

Welrod smiled; WA2000 couldn't hide her true opinions from her. The girl finally turned to Calico, who had turned back around and was eyeing them all.

"I promised myself I would never hurt you girls, and that promise won't be broken today." Calico got up from her cardboard box and approached Welrod. "I'm still in."

Welrod looked over at James, hoping he had also turned around. To her disappointment, the man was still hunched over whatever he took out of his pocket.

"If he wants to pout, let him your majesty, we still have work to do." Calico put her hand on the girl's shoulders.

Suddenly, the dormitory door was slammed open, and Clarence stepped through.

"Commander Archibald requested me to give you your orders for tomorrow. You will be acting as the vanguard for our attack on the Sangvis compound in Sector 89. See this as an opportunity to redeem yourselves." Clarence handed off the orders, a wicked smile on his face, as he turned and exited the dormitory.

"Our 'punishment' I assume?" Lee asked as she walked over to inspect the orders.

"It's literally a combat sortie, we get to blow shit up, how is that a punishment," Calico replied.

 _I have a feeling this combat sortie is more than it appears to be._


	36. Chapter 36: The Charge of Echelon Three

**Chapter 36: The Charge of Echelon Three**

"Welrod… please tell me we're almost there. I'm going to snap if this song loops again." Calico grumbled as the echelon marched through the forest underbrush.

Echelon 3 was an hour into their trek towards Sector 89. As part of their mission, to act as vanguard for two other echelons, Archibald had assigned several other odd orders they had to follow. They were to march in line formation to their objective to the song 'British Grenadiers.' Their equipment was changed out to the weapons they had been using in training, Lee-Enfields, and as a final kick in the teeth, the echelon was forced to take up the garb of British "lobsterbacks."

"Almost there Calico, just a few more minutes of this." Despite her heritage, even Welrod was tiring of the age old military tune, especially after the twenty-fifth iteration.

"You know, I can tune out the music, but what I can't tune out, is this damn uniform riding up my-"Grizzly complained.

"Grizzly!" Lee gave the girl a disapproving look.

"What? Can't I complain about something?! Unlike you I don't wear this junk all day, every day… not that it's a bad thing," Grizzly added as Lee shot her another look.

"I understand you're not used to it, and I will admit it's not the most comfortable garment. Just… there are children present." Lee replied.

"Hey!" WA2000 piped up from the rear of the column. "Just because I look physically younger than you all doesn't mean you can treat me like a child!"

"It's not your appearance, it's your…" Lee started to say.

"If you say attitude, I swear I will-"

"Listen! I know we're on edge, especially after what happened this morning, but we need to stay focused. No matter who is in command, we have a mission to perform, not only for ourselves but the two echelons we are supporting." Welrod looked back at the echelon, who silently nodded in agreement.

"Alright we're here. Calico you can turn off the tape." Welrod held up her hand, bringing the group to a halt.

"Finally!" The girl removed the cassette tape from the player, letting the blissful sound of silence fill their eardrums.

"Commander Archibald, Echelon 3 has reached the rallying point."

"Acknowledged. Standby."

"Not very talkative on mission is he?" Grizzly muttered to herself.

Welrod, loosening her collar, walked towards a group of trees directly in front of them. Peering through the foliage, Welrod spotted the signature outline of a Sangvis Ferri outpost on the horizon. The base was in the middle of a flat plain, with little cover to take advantage of, at least from where they were ordered to rally. Looking to her left, Welrod spotted a white rocky outcropping that had a clear view of the outpost, with enough elevation to see over the walls of the compound. Dense foliage surrounded the rock formation, providing enough cover to shorten the distance from safety to the walls of the outpost.

"Ok, I think I know how we're going to do this. Lee and WA2000, I want you to climb that rock formation to our left. From there, provide over watch for us as we move for the outpost perimeter. Calico, Grizzly, and I will use the tree line to mask our approach. I'll give you the order to commence firing through zenner. By the time they realize what's going on, we will have crushed most of their garrison. You got it?"

Grizzly cracked her knuckles and grinned

"Been waiting for something to take my anger out on." Calico muttered.

WA2000 and Lee nodded in agreement.

"Right then, let's move out-"

"Belay that order." Archibald's voice thundered over the radio.

"Sir?" Welrod replied, confused.

"I said belay that order. I have taken direct control of your echelon. You will perform a frontal engagement on the Sangvis Ferri Outpost. You will charge them, bayonets fixed, and drive those automatons back to whatever factory they were spat out of."

"He's fucking joking right? This is a joke, it's gotta be a joke." Grizzly shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

"Sir, that outpost is manned by several heavy auto particle cannons, a mortar team, and God knows how many Vespids, Rippers, and Jaegers. If we charge head on, we won't even make it halfway across the field!" Welrod was desperately voicing her concerns.

"I gave you a direct order android. You will charge that position, bayonets raised and take it. No exceptions, no failures. Archibald out." The radio cut to static as the commander left the echelon to prepare themselves for the inevitable.

"That man is going to kill us. He is actually going to kill us." Grizzly whispered, the threat finally getting through to her.

"Of all the ways I could have gone out, I go out like this. This is fucking unbelievable," Calico muttered as she kicked a tree stump next to her

"H-he wants us to charge? W-we could just stay here, Lee and I could cover you and…" WA2000 started to say, shaking.

"No. The commander gave us an order. We have to follow it, even if that means…" Lee was downcast, but more prepared than the others for their impending fate.

"He won't kill us, just-just let me think," Welrod replied. The girl ran through every scenario she could think of, each one ending in with the echelon completely wiped out, save for one.

"Grizzly, Calico, and I will lead the charge. WA2000 and Lee stay as close as you can behind us. We should be able to draw their fire and keep them occupied long enough to reach the wall. I promise you we will get through this, you just need to trust me." Welrod looked at the rest of the echelon, at the girls who had been sentenced to die, waiting for their response.

One by one, the echelon nodded their heads in agreement. If this was to be their fate then so be it.

Welrod readied her rifle, and took a deep breath. The rest of the girls fastened bayonets to the ends of their weapons. A moment passed, then a second. The girls' weapons wavered.

 _Charge._

With a roar of rage, not even necessarily at the enemy, Echelon 3 began their charge across the open field. It only took a mere second or two for their advance to be fired upon by the garrison of the outpost. Laser bolts impacted around the echelon as they continued to push towards the compound, kicking up large swathes of dust, dirt, and rock.

 _Grizzly, Calico, split off._

Welrod watched as Grizzly and Calico ran off in two different directions, attempting to split the incoming fire between the three of them, making it much easier to dodge. Welrod could sense the explosions rocking the ground growing more accurate, as the shrapnel kicked up from the laser shots embedded itself in her skin. It wouldn't be long before their shots began finding their mark.

 _We're halfway there. We can do this ladies, just-_

Welrod heard a short gasp of breath behind her. The girl turned around to see WA2000 still running, but clutching her chest where a laser bolt had seared off most of her uniform and skin. To her left, Welrod noticed Lee was missing her left arm at the elbow, coolant leaked freely from the open wound. Another laser bolt flew past the girl's face, leaving a burn on her right cheek. While she had avoided disaster, the laser had hit WA2000 in the shoulder, leaving her arm dangling by bits of carbon fiber and wiring. The girl let out a cry in pain, as she stumbled, but still found a way to keep pace with Welrod.

The team continued through the blazing inferno, each step drawing them closer to their objective, and each step bringing more pain to bare. Welrod winced as a laser round seared off three fingers on her right hand, watching as the severed digits tumbled to the ground below. The girl squinted at the two figures to her right. Calico and Grizzly were still with them, but they were not in good condition. Grizzly was holding the remains of her right arm with her teeth as she held the shattered stock of her Lee-Enfield with her left. Calico was missing an eye, and had oil and coolant oozing from several wounds in her chest.

 _Three quarters of the way ladies. Almost there._

Welrod looked behind her; WA2000 was falling behind. Seeing an opportunity, the gunners along the rampart switched their sights to the exhausted girl, firing volley after volley at WA2000. The girl desperately tried to evade with what little strength she had left, but to no avail. She shuddered under the weight of several devastating direct hits, the holes left behind simmering in the cool autumn air. The girl fell to her knees and remained still, although the echelon could hear her terrified wails through the zenner network ringing in their ears.

 _Calico, break off and get WA2000, we aren't leaving anyone behind, not today._

Welrod watched as Calico seamlessly peeled off her approach and fell back towards WA2000's position, where she knelt down and attempted to pick the girl up. Seeing Calico retreating, the garrison shifted and intensified its firepower towards the three girls still advancing. Welrod was hit again; her right eye shot out. Grizzly pulled ahead, a crazed expression on her face. Lee was beginning to falter just as WA2000 did.

 _Just… a… bit… further…_

The echelon was mere meters away from the wall. One more hit rocked Welrod's body. She looked down, seeing a chunk of her torso had been ripped away, exposed wiring still sparking. Luckily, her fire control core had remained intact.

One step, a second, and finally a slide brought the three girls to their destination. Welrod quickly assessed the situation, looking up at the ramparts that towered above them. Calico had rejoined them, carefully holding WA2000 in her arms. The girl was shivering; her screaming had now subsided, pure exhaustion replacing it.

 _We can use those cannons to our advantage. Calico, Grizzly, give me a boost._

The two other girls hoisted Welrod as high as their strength could muster. Welrod grabbed hold of the battlement, and swung back and forth. With a mighty heave she flipped herself over the outcropping, her foot connecting with the face of one of the gunners of the laser repeater, knocking the android over and into the compound below. The girl landed on her feet and quickly engaged the other gunner of the emplacement. She dodged a right hook, and countered with an uppercut, the skin of her left hand tearing on impact. The blow knocked the other gunner backward, and as it tried to regain its footing, Welrod gave the robot a swift kick, sending it too to the ground below.

The outpost soon discovered their perimeter had been breached, and was redirecting their fire towards Welrod. The girl quickly retreated to the battlement edge, and pulled up Grizzly and Calico, leaving Lee to tend to WA2000. Grizzly tossed aside the useless remains of her Lee-Enfield, picking up one of the laser rifles dropped by the emplacement gunners. She began letting her fury take hold as she let off volley after volley of inaccurate laser fire at the encroaching Vespids. Welrod, thinking quickly, motioned for Calico to help her turn the gun emplacement.

The two girls swiveled the gun around and opened fire on the compound. Explosions rocked the inner sanctum as bits of debris, shrapnel, and android rained down on the echelon. Together, the three girls swept what remained of the garrison out of the compound, before collapsing from exhaustion next to their gun emplacement.

Silence once again took over as the echelon processed what had just happened. They had survived, by some miracle, they had survived.

 _Lee and WA2000!_

The girls quickly descended the battlement and returned to the two sniper dolls. Welrod looked at her two companions: all things considered, they would recover. Grizzly and Calico had certainly taken much worse punishment. The same could not be said for Lee and WA2000.

Lee was a shadow of her former self. She had removed her red overcoat, revealing a half burnt undershirt that was still steaming. She had bandaged her left arm, but could do nothing for now about the lower right half of her face, which took on an almost skeletal appearance; strands of tissue hung from it like tapestries.

WA2000 had her head buried in Lee-Enfield's chest, her one good arm wrapped around Lee's torso, the other resting limply at her side. Welrod noticed Lee had roughly bandaged the girl's chest, although she could still see oil leaking through the bandages. The girl was still shaking, though this time not from the pain. Lee was slowly brushing the girl's hair, and humming a soft tune, trying to calm the distraught girl's nerves. Lee looked up at Welrod, and gave a quick nod, before bringing WA2000 closer, slowly rocking the girl back and forth. Welrod could see WA2000's shuddering intensify, as her cries became more audible.

"P-please… d-don't… d-don't make m-me do t-that again." WA2000 whispered through her sobs.

"Shh, it'll be alright. You're safe now." Lee looked at the others. "We're safe now."

"Will you two be able to manage," Welrod asked.

"Yes, I made sure of it. I patched us both up enough to keep us together until we return to base. You on the other hand need some attention too. Let me see your eye."

As Welrod walked over to Lee, Calico gritted her teeth and with a roar of frustration punched the cement wall, breaking the fingers of her good hand.

"That bastard! That utter bastard!" Calico punched the wall again and again, tearing more and more skin from her hand, revealing the metallic endo-skeleton underneath.

"Hey! Stop, Calico! I… said… stop!" Grizzly was trying to hold back Calico's fist. Calico fought the gesture at first, but she relented, and sank to her knees, clutching her chest, her face contorted in pain.

"I… I…" Calico mumbled, as Grizzly embraced her. "J-just get me home." The girl then shut down, her core completely overheated, while Grizzly held her in shock.

Welrod sat there in silence as Lee tended to her eye. Calico was right, the time for waiting was over.

 _I need to get that information to Helian. Or the next mission will be our last._


	37. Chapter 37: A Past Revisited

**Chapter 37: A Past Revisited**

There were no cheers awaiting Echelon 3 as they returned from their suicide mission, only looks of horror and pity. The woman with the unwavering smile approached Lee, attempting to lend her motherly care to the wounded. However, Lee, shaking her head, refused, and continued forward back to the dormitory, still humming to the distraught girl. Next in line was Grizzly, who was carrying Calico. Finally, bringing up the rear of the shattered echelon was Welrod, who was preparing herself to recruit a member to their cause. On and on they marched, past the solemn faces of many T-Dolls who were heartbroken to see such a prestigious and kind echelon reduced to a shadow of its former self.

The girls finally returned to their dormitory, and Welrod took the lead as they walked inside. The room had remained just as they left it, with cardboard boxes strewn about the room, and their handler sitting off by himself, only this time a bottle of whisky was his company. Upon hearing the door open, the man turned around, about to extend his congratulations, only to be shaken as he looked upon the remains of Echelon 3. His eyes drifted from girl to girl, until they fell upon Calico, whereupon he looked away and retreated to his corner, again removing something from his pocket.

"I'll deal with James. Grizzly, Lee, as much as I want to get you girls patched up as soon as possible, I'm still too cautious about Archibald pulling something nefarious. So, do what you can for WA2000 and Calico, and I'll think of something to help us even the odds."

Lee and Grizzly nodded, as they gently set both girls down on sheets of cardboard, and attempted to forge a makeshift bed for the two of them. Welrod in the meantime turned her attention back to James, who was shaking in his corner of the room, looking down at whatever was in his pocket.

The girl calmly walked over and pulled up a box next to him. The girl sat down, and let the awkward silence build between them. When it became apparent that James wasn't going to say anything, Welrod threw the first punch.

"I'm disappointed in you Sir," Welrod said softly.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," The man replied, his eyes glued to what he was holding. From Welrod's spot it looked like a piece of paper.

"You knew what Archibald had planned for us, and yet you let him do this all the same. You let the man throw us into the pits of hell, never to return," Welrod continued.

"You know as well as I do that wouldn't have done a damn thing," James muttered, "He would have just kicked me out of Sector 78 without another word."

"Is that what you're afraid of, of being thrown back into whatever cesspool you were pulled out of? I'm sorry Sir, but that is incredibly selfish of you." Welrod stated, emphasizing the word selfish to try and cut deeper.

"So I tell the dobber to piss off and I get thrown out, then what? You girls get assigned some brown nosing twat who throws you to the wolves! I couldn't live with myself if that happened!" James's voice had risen, his body was trembling a bit.

"You couldn't live with yourself? Then why are seemingly fine with Lee losing her arm at the elbow? With WA2000 having her chest being torn apart? With Calico being shot again and again, to the point where she can't control her coolant and collapses?" Welrod slowly hounded the man, forcing the point further, it may have been cruel, but she saw it as the only way she could make her stance.

"You think I'm fine with it? Why do you think I'm over here in the first place? I couldn't bear to look at you girls in your state. Now, Miss Welrod, kindly see to your friends." James was doing everything in his power to stay level headed, and Welrod knew now was the time to hammer it home.

"I wonder what she would think, if that was her over there, and she saw you cowering in the corner." Welrod softly said. She noticed the man stiffen.

"What did you just…?" James began, but Welrod cut him off.

"Would Calico have been proud to see you acting this way? Would she have been proud to see you cower before a man lesser than you?"

"H-how do you…?" James's shaking intensified as his grip on the paper he was holding tightened.

"I wonder what she would think if you turned your back on her, even when she was gravely wounded with five particle rifle rounds embedded in her chest."

"D-don't you fucking dare…" James's shaking was uncontrollable now.

"Would Cally forgive the man she loved? Even after he betrayed her?"

With a roar, James grabbed his bottle of whiskey and threw it at the wall. The glass container shattered on impact, the sudden outburst drawing the attention of Lee and Grizzly. The paper he was holding slowly floated to the floor; it was a picture of a group of soldiers in an Eastern European town. The group looked rather jovial as they sat atop an armored personnel carrier; one of them was even playing an accordion.

James stood where he was, motionless, his breathing becoming more labored. Welrod hesitated, had she gone too far? A minute passed, and another. The girl decided to break the silence.

"I'm sorry Sir, I spoke out of turn…"

"No." James shook his head as he returned to his seat. The man picked up the photo again, and held it under his face.

"You're right, Welrod. I-I f-failed her." A teardrop impacted the photo as the man's hands quivered.

"You… you truly loved her didn't you Sir," Welrod whispered.

The man slowly nodded his head, shaking more tears from the brim of his eyes.

"Aye. I-I did. I l-loved that seaweed brained diva. Ever since our first scuffle… and she loved me. Trusted me. And I let her… her…" James finally broke down, letting his emotions take over. The man dropped the photograph and brought his hands to his face, his soft sobs breaking the otherwise silent room.

As Welrod let James grieve she bent down and picked up the tear stained photograph. It was a group of ten soldiers, six of which were faces she was familiar with. She saw WA2000, Grizzly, herself, and Clint, all smiling. She also saw Calico and a younger James leaning on one another, their hands clasped together. There was also the man with the accordion, who looked almost out of place, but the girl couldn't quite figure as to why.

Welrod couldn't help herself from tearing up, but for James's sake she held her emotions in check. The girl slowly slid the photo under his face.

"You never answered my question Sir," Welrod said softly.

The man opened his mouth to reply, but James couldn't answer as another round of sobbing took over.

"Calico once told me, Sir, that she wouldn't forget transgressions against her." The girl then grasped the man's trembling hands. "But she also said she would always forgive that person, no matter what. If Cally was anything like my Calico, I'm sure she would forgive you in a heartbeat, especially you, the man she loved."

James lowered his head to his chest.

"We need your help James. We can't succeed without you. Please, put aside your fears, and stand against those who have wronged you! Do it not for us, or even yourself, do it for Cally." Welrod brought her hand to the man's face. The man's shudders started to subside, as he looked up and stared Welrod in the eye, determined.

"Aye, I'll do it. I'll do it for you, and I'll do it for her. It's time for me to make up for my past mistakes. What better way to do that, than to help you all?" The man pocketed his photograph and walked towards the rest of the echelon, where he set to work assisting Lee with WA2000 and Calico's wounds. The man wore a smile as Calico rebooted and gave him a look of confusion as he hugged her.

 _If only she knew._

Welrod shook her head and looked at her echelon's new ally.

 _Thank you, Cally._


	38. Chapter 38: Knife Fight

**Chapter 38: Knife Fight**

"James, were you able to get in contact with our man on the outside? He's the only one who can get that information to Helian."

Welrod was stuffing a satchel that James had borrowed from logistics, to the brim with as much dirt on Archibald as she could. Faked combat reports, money flow documents, and personnel files, anything that could prove the new commander's utter incompetence. This was their one chance to change the future of Sector 78, and they had to act now. James, who was busily downing his third bottle of whiskey, let out a loud belch.

"Oh aye, I go' in contac' with your * _hic*_ man… uh… Jack…. Jason…"

"John, Sir."

"Oh aye, him too!" The man popped open his fourth bottle of poison, and took a large swig.

"Alright Sir, remember: if I'm going to be able to slip out, the distraction needs to grab the entire base's attention. That's the only way I'll be able to requisition a vehicle from the motor pool."

Welrod flipped the top of the satchel over and snapped it shut, sealing her precious cargo inside.

"Oh, don' worry lass, I'll give em one hell of a show!"

With a loud guffaw, James threw his head back and guzzled down half the bottle of whiskey in one go, much to Welrod's astonishment.

 _This may have been a poor decision._

Welrod didn't have time to question her choice, as the hourly siren yet again disturbed the relative peace, announcing breakfast. The girl threw the bag over her shoulders and motioned for her team to follow her out. Welrod looked back one last time at James before she shut the door: the man was doing what could only be described as a tribal dance.

 _Yes... a very poor decision._

Echelon 3 made their trek towards the dining hall, as Welrod ran the mission through her head.

 _Ok, one last time: James is going to somehow distract the base long enough for me to slip out unseen and give this intelligence to John. I need to get to the dead drop, make the hand-off, and then return before Archie realizes I've gone missing. I do this, and Commander Archibald's days are numbered. Elementary._

"Well boss, you ready to pull off the caper of a lifetime?"

Grizzly pulled up alongside her leader, giving the girl an inquisitive look.

"I've been longing for this moment since Archibald arrived, I'm more than prepared to knock him from his pedestal."

"Good, because I'm itching to get my motorcycle back!" Grizzly gave a thumbs up as she retreated to the back of the column.

"Yea Welrod! I want my ice cream privileges back… and my water bed!" WA2000 piped up from the middle of the group.

"I'm absolutely confident that Miss Welrod and James will succeed. They've been planning this mission for the past two days."

Lee Enfield gave Welrod a reassuring smile.

"Hell yea they will!" Calico yelled from the back of the column.

"I-I appreciate your belief in us, but can you keep it down, I don't want to get caught before the mission even begins!"

Calico mouthed the word sorry and returned to counting the number of dots on the ceiling.

The echelon finally made it to their destination; they walked into the dining hall and sat down amongst the other T-Dolls. The girls opened up their bags of enhancement pills and slowly popped them into their mouths one by one. Several minutes passed in complete silence. Welrod scanned the room nervously as handlers began casting glances in their direction. They were beginning to realize someone was missing.

 _James, where the bloody hell are you?!_

"Hey! Where the hell is your handler?"

Clint stormed over to where Echelon 3 was sitting, looking absolutely furious.

"Well? Spit it out androids!" The man looked from one girl to another, before setting his eyes on Welrod.

"Squad leader! Why are you wearing that satchel?! That is G&K property!"

Welrod opened her mouth to reply when the dining hall doors slammed open.

"Oi! Clint! Where are you ye cunt?!" An absolutely smashed James stumbled into the dining hall.

"James you drunk bastard! What the hell is wrong with you? It's not even mid-morning!"

James continued stumbling his way towards the echelon, using one of the tables as support. The man knocked over dishes, glasses, food, and anything not nailed down, much to the resentment of the other handlers.

"I've got some unfinished business with you… _*hic*_ Clint! You still gotta pay for what yee said the oth… * _hic*_ other night!"

James hurled an object at Clint. It bounced off the man's chest and clattered to ground.

"...a butter knife James? Oh… you're going to fight me? How cute."

James let out a laugh. His right hand was clasping his own butter knife. As the man drew closer, more and more heads were turning in the two's direction.

"Oh, I intend to fight! You… well… you'll just flail angrily won't yee? If ya hit like a woman in a fist fight, I'm curious to see your skills with a blade!"

Clint stiffened as the insult reached his ears; his hands curled into fists.

"Oh! Struck a nerve have I?! Not that I should be surprised, you were always such a nancy!" James was now within spitting distance of Clint.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Calico and Grizzly had started up a chant, which was immediately picked up by the other T-Dolls, and even some of their handlers.

Clint sneered.

"It seems you haven't learned your lesson. I'm going to have to give it to you again!"

Clint cracked his knuckles. James let out another guffaw, before starring the man dead in the eye.

"That's what I said to your mother last night!"

Clint and James hurled themselves at each other, their butter knives at the ready. The entire dining hall rushed to get front row seats for the brawl of the year. Welrod let everyone rush passed her, the mass of bodies blocking her view of the fight, before slowly rising to her feet and edging for the door. The girl could hear whistles being blown as well as panicked screaming.

"Someone stop that ruffian this instant!"

 _Alright James, you played your part perfectly, now it's the Duchess's turn._

With a smirk, Welrod bolted for the exit. She threw open the doors and ran towards the motor pit, the sounds of the fight gradually fading in the distance. The girl passed by the repair station, and took a hard right, exiting the inner sanctum of the compound. She quickly approached the motor pool, and grabbed the keys of one of the Land Rovers off the wall. The girl mounted the vehicle, and inserted the keys. The engine roared to life as she turned the keys, and with a squeal of the tires, she accelerated out of the compound and down the road towards downtown Glasgow.


	39. Chapter 39: The Lord of Pigeons

**Chapter 39: The Lord of Pigeons**

 _Alright, John. Where are you?_

Welrod walked along the cobblestone path of the local children's park, searching for her contact that would deliver unto her team salvation. The sky was relatively clear for an autumn day, and the typical cool highland breeze offered respite from the heat that beat down upon the girl's skin. Couples, having just dropped their children off at school, were walking hand in hand along the sparsely packed paths, using this opportunity to witness the wonders of nature within the confines of society. No one seemed to notice, nor care, about the girl treading these paths alone.

"Honey, take my picture with the birdman!"

 _Birdman?_

Ahead of Welrod was a gathering of residents around one of the many park benches that sat along the path. As the girl approached she heard excited whispering and gasps of amazement.

"H-how is he doing this?"

"Dear, tip the man a pound or two this is incredible!"

The girl waited patiently for the crowd to part, and was greeted by the sight of a man sitting on a bench covered in denizens of the air. He was sitting motionless, as the feral pigeons used his hide as a place of refuge, casually pecking at the man's shoulders, which were covered in seeds.

 _There he is!_

Welrod slowly approached the statue, and called out its name.

"John, it's good to see you again!"

Silence was the only response the girl received. A moment passed, two moments, then finally a response.

"The Lord of Pigeons sends you good tidings."

 _Oh, I see Sir._

The girl sat down next to John, and slowly unpacked her satchel. Welrod then removed the documents from the bag, and slowly slid them towards her contact.

"The Duchess sends her regards, and bids you thanks for meeting in her time of need. These secret documents she has provided will prove to be the undoing of the malevolent force that has taken hold of the Duke's estate. All that remains, is the delivery of his crimes to Helian of G&K, whereby Archibald will finally meet his end."

Silence was all that replied.

"I understand the danger this will place you in, and I would not ask this of you my Lord if it was not urgent. However, the suffering placed upon the shoulders of Sector 78 is too much to bear. We beg for your assistance!"

For the first time since Welrod had arrived, John moved, slowly reaching his hand out to grab the documents, being careful not to disturb his feathered friends. His fingers curled around the edges of the envelope, and pulled the precious cargo back towards its new master.

"I thank thee for your patience. The Duke and Duchess will not forget your assistance in this hour of desperation."

As the girl got up to leave, a low rumble could be heard emanating from the man's throat; his body was beginning to shudder. This low rumble soon turned into boisterous laughter.

"I-I… I'm sorry Miss Wells I just can't! Oh my God, you two ARE made for each other! How can you even talk to me so seriously with these rats sitting on my shoulders?" John couldn't hold back his amusement as his body shook under the tumultuous effects of his guffaws.

"I… w-what Sir?"

Welrod sat back down next to the man, a confused expression on her face; she couldn't prevent the redness overtaking her pale skin.

"There it is! There's that eyebrow raise he always goes on about!" John was staring at her with an almost maniacal joy. He reached out his hand in a gesture of good faith, still shaking from the laughing fit he had undergone.

"Ok, ok. Let's start over. It's a pleasure to see you again Miss Wells, especially after all that has happened these past few days. I'm glad to see you are in good health."

Welrod, who was beyond embarrassed, took the man's hand and shook it.

"I'm sorry Sir that was most unprofessional of me. I just thought…"

John however held up his hand.

"Miss Wells, you do realize who I'm friends with right? I'm more than used to how you and Eric behave. I'm sorrier I couldn't keep up the act, as it seemed you were enjoying yourself!" James let out a wide grin.

"I will admit… it's… sort of… fun." Welrod smiled back timidly.

"Right? Anyway, let's see what dirt you have on dear old Archie."

The man carefully removed the seal on envelope and flipped through the documents one by one.

"Forged combat reports… illegal usage of company funds… hiring of less than to be desired employees… my, my, Archibald, you've been a naughty lad." John returned the documents to the envelope and resealed it. "Yes, this should be enough to remove that weasel from power."

A wave of relief washed over Welrod as she realized her difficulties would soon come to an end.

"So you think you can deliver the documents to Helian?"

John gave a nod as he stowed the folder away in his satchel.

"Helian is finishing up her tour of Great Britain's facilities this afternoon. I should be able to catch her on the tarmac before she leaves. After that, it's just a short drive to Sector 78 to remove dear Archibald from power."

The man paused as the smile slowly receded.

"I promise you that if Archibald finds out what has happened he is going to do everything in his power to end you girls. You need to stall as long as you can until we arrive."

Welrod stiffened, but looked back at John with determination.

"Echelon 3 has survived this long, I'm sure we can pull through these last few hours."

John's smile returned as he slung the bag over his shoulder.

"I'm certain of it Miss Welrod."

As the man got up to leave, he paused again and turned back to the girl sitting happily on the bench.

"He talks about you a lot you know."

Welrod gave John an inquisitive look. Then, the red shade of embarrassment overtook her pale face once again.

"He does?" Welrod whispered.

"Mhm, Eric has had plenty of time while he's been laid off to hang out at the bar with me. He'd tell me how much of a hard worker you are, how you lead your echelon so well, how that echelon is the pride of Sector 78…"

Welrod's face has the slightest hint of a grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Then, as the night would progress, Eric would get a little tipsy. He's a real lightweight, bet you didn't know that!" John let out a chuckle, which Welrod matched in kind.

"Anyway, he'd get a little tipsy, and he shift from work related praise to personal praise: like how Eric thinks you're the bravest girl he's ever met, how cute he thinks your smile is and so on."

Welrod didn't reply, but the look on the girl's face was all John needed to know how pleased she was.

"Right then, I best be going. Don't want to miss that plane! Duchess!" The man gave a low bow.

Welrod stood up and gave the man a curtsy.

"Lord of Pigeons."

Chuckling once again, John wandered off with the documents in hand, as Welrod stood beaming. It seemed as though her struggles, and that of Sector 78's were finally coming to a close.


	40. Chapter 40: The Eleventh Hour

**Chapter 40: The Eleventh Hour**

"So wait, you're telling me we still have to wait a few more hours to get out of this hell hole," Grizzly muttered.

Echelon 3 had convened in their poor excuse for a dormitory to discuss what had occurred during Welrod's meeting, as well as the events after her departure. Needless to say, the girls were less than pleased knowing they still had a few more hours of suffering to undergo before things took a turn for the better.

"Yes, John said he would need time to deliver the documents to Miss Helian. In the meantime, we need to keep our heads down and hold fast. We do that, and we will live to see Archibald's removal, and hopefully Commander Blair's return," Welrod replied as Grizzly let out a groan.

"Never saw eye to eye with Commander Blair, but anything is better than Commander Twat, although I wouldn't mind someone less British," Calico's muttered. Upon seeing the disapproving glances from both Lee and Welrod, Calico grinned cheekily and shrugged. "Hey, you know I didn't mean you two!"

"We understand, it was still impolite to say, Miss Calico," Lee-Enfield huffed.

"Eh, grow a thicker skin Tommy! You're a 'lobster back' you should already have one!"

Seeing the poor reception of her tease, Calico held up her hands and mouthed the word "sorry."

"What of James? Is he alright?" Welrod turned the conversation over to her teammates. The girls looked at one another, exchanging looks of concern.

"James and Clint showed no mercy unto one another; both were taken to the emergency care center not long after you departed. I fear for James's safety, as he took quite a thrashing," Lee finally stated.

"True, but he showed that bastard Clint a thing or two! Did you see his technique? The guy is a certified badass!" Grizzly commented.

"Yea! He's gonna have to show me how to do that reversal sometime, I'll admit the dude has style," Calico added.

"He's still weird though. Why is everyone you interact with weird Welrod?" WA2000 muttered as she leaned herself against the wall of the dormitory.

The sound of the dormitory door opening drew the girl's attention. Welrod felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"James! It's good to know that you-"

Welrod's face shifted from one of relief, to one of horror. The man that stood before them wasn't their kind hearted handler.

"Hello, Androids," Clint muttered as he approached the flustered echelon.

"Sir, where is James?" Welrod questioned, not attempting to hide the contempt in her voice.

"I should have you dismantled for even speaking to me like that, but since you are oh so 'charming' I suppose I'll answer you: James is spending his leisure in the brig, for how long will be determined by me." A wicked grin flashed across the man's face. Welrod noticed a fresh scar spanning the distance between the man's ears.

 _Looks like James took a chunk out of you. Well done, Sir._

"I'm here, as his replacement. You Androids are now under my command. We are going to be doing some 'training,' until Commander Archibald figures out what to do with you. Now, follow me, we are going for a walk. Leave your weapons; you won't be needing them."

The echelon did as they were told and followed their new handler to whatever punishment he had cooked up in that diabolical head of his. The troupe walked through the empty halls of Sector 78 towards the training facility, only to take a sharp right towards the back end of the compound; where the latrines and trash dump were established. The utterly rank stench of human feces mixed with the aroma of rotting leftovers permeated the air; even Larry's room paled in comparison to the cacophony of odors that assaulted the girl's senses.

"The first task you Androids will perform is cleaning out the latrines and waste disposal units. I expect this to be completed within the hour, no exceptions." Clint smirked as he walked towards a nearby bench to relax.

 _Humiliation Sir? You're going to have to try harder than that. What is a little muck going to do to us?_

"Yes Sir. Where are our shovels?" Welrod glanced around, searching for the equipment they would use to complete this endeavor. Clint only laughed.

"Shovels? Oh you dim, dumb, Android. Shovels are for humans who actually get sick. No, no, you will be using your hands. I'm sorry to say I don't have any gloves. Now, get to it, the clock is ticking!" Clint sat down on the bench and leaned back, watching the horrified echelon in complete ecstasy.

"You heard him ladies, we… we have job to do."

Welrod turned and led her team towards the stinking hulk that lay before them.

"I'm gonna hurl… it's gonna happen…" Grizzly muttered as she curled her hands into fists.

"Can… can… can we even do that? I've never seen a T-Doll vomit," Lee pondered, trying to keep her mind off the horrible task they were to perform.

"Give me five minutes… and I'll let you know," Calico groaned.

"It's just chocolate ice cream… it's just chocolate ice cream… warm… chocolate… ice cream… with peanuts…" WA2000 repeated to herself as the echelon reached their objective.

The girls stood motionless, not wanting to be the first to take the plunge. Welrod, gathering herself, reached down and grabbed two handfuls of muck and calmly walked over to the disposal unit and dropped it inside. She looked down at her now stained hands, and instantly regretted her decision. Seeing their leader persevering, the echelon followed suit, not afraid to let out a clamor of groans, dry heaves, and swears.

The hour dragged on slowly as the girls removed more and more of the pile of fetid material, each trip causing more muck to stain their hands, and clothes. By the end of their mission, it appeared as though Echelon 3 had taken a dive into the brown tinted waters of a sewer, and based on the stench that now clung to them, that wouldn't be a horrible assumption.

"I see you Androids have finished, good. Now, we have more to do, come along you trash heaps." Clint rose from his seat and led the beleaguered and fuming Echelon from the waste facility. Again the echelon moved towards the training building, only to sharply deviate from the set course and move towards the motor pit.

"Your next task, Androids, is to take apart this Land Rover. Unfortunately our pit crew is on mission and took their tools with them, so figure it out."

Welrod looked at the armored Jeep that sat before them, her mouth ajar. Her expression was shared by the other members of the echelon.

"Get to it! Unlike Archibald I don't have disdain for getting my hands dirty," Clint sneered from his chair.

The girls approached the Land Rover and began latching their hands onto exposed regions of the vehicle. The echelon tore off bits of the Jeep bit by bit, the metal lacerating their stained hands. An hour passed, and another, as the echelon struggled to dismantle this metal behemoth. As the four girls were struggling to tear the engine from its coupling, Clint received a radio call.

"This is Clint…" The echelon paused as they gazed at their handler discussing their fate.

 _Please let it be a mission, please!_

"You're in luck Androids: your gracious leader has granted you the privilege to sortie today."

With a sigh of relief, the echelon began to walk out the door and past Clint.

"Except you…"

"M-me? What do you mean Sir?" Lee stood her eyes darting about in confusion.

"Archibald has ordered me to have you detained in your dormitory. Now, come along, leave your other Androids to their mission."

Clint then turned to the other four girls.

"As for you lot, I bid you farewell." With a chuckle, Clint forced his way past the echelon with Lee in tow, the girl was desperately attempting to reconvene with her team one last time, but she never had the chance.

 _We aren't coming back from this mission are we?_


	41. Chapter 41: It is Always Darkest

**Chapter 41: It is Always Darkest**

The echelon trudged through knee high snow, as a cool breeze froze the girls to the bone. The drab rocky cliffs provided no shelter from the flurries that beat against the girl's faces, the white slush mixing with the brown muck that still clung to their clothes, hair, and skin. There was no banter, no laughter, not even words of frustration and anger. There was simply silence, as the girls trudged towards their impending fate: a quartet of prisoners being walked to the executioner's block.

All four knew what was going to happen, what Archibald was going to do. Treacherous thoughts lingered in their minds, but what could they do? They were soldiers, following orders, even if those orders meant marching towards their deaths. Welrod looked back at the once cheery echelon, now a shadow of its former self. Grizzly and Calico were whispering to one another while WA2000 began to fall behind. The girl stumbled and collapsed onto her hands and knees and sat motionless in the powdered snow. Welrod let the first two girls pass her and fell in line next to the German sniper.

"Miss WA2000… you need to keep moving. We have a job to do," Welrod murmured as she reached down for her teammate.

WA2000 shook as a breeze drifted through the gorge, but her trembling wasn't from the below freezing temperatures. The girl took Welrod's hand and was hoisted back to her feet.

"Thank you…" WA2000 whispered as she picked up the pace. Welrod solemnly followed as the echelon continued their advance towards the main Sangvis Compound in Sector 52. The girl checked her watch: they had been walking for two hours. Welrod had estimated it would take only three hours to reach their destination, at the very gates of Hell itself.

 _John, I know you'll get those documents to Helian... I just wish you could have done it a bit sooner… these girls deserve better than this._

Archibald had informed the echelon that he had taken the liberty of wiping their memory from the system. This breach of protocol meant that when they ultimately met their fate, there was no do over, no retry. The moment the coolant stopped flowing, the second their core shut down, Welrod Mk II, WA2000, Calico, and Grizzly as their friends and comrades knew them, would cease to exist, Echelon 3, would cease to exist. It was almost ironic: as much as Archibald tried to dehumanize them, the fate he bestowed upon them was more human than any punishment he could have devised.

 _Ignorant to the end, Archibald. It's a shame I won't see your downfall, it's going to be glorious._

Welrod jogged back up to the front of the column, but as she passed Grizzly, the girl grabbed her arm.

"Hey Boss... I just want to say before our last dance... i-it was an honor to have a b-badass teammate like you," Grizzly smiled, her sunglasses hiding her bloodshot eyes, but not the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"It was an honor serving with the most daring and professional racer I have ever seen. I've been thinking about our race… I think you won." Grizzly, upon hearing this, pulled Welrod in for one last bear hug.

"Come on you two, we are almost at the summit," Calico muttered. Grizzly turned back for WA2000 and put her arm around the girl, giving her as much motherly comfort as a racer could. Welrod smiled, and turned to continue up the slope.

The girls crested the ridgeline, and came face to face with the largest structure they had ever seen. A dark building stretched towards the sky, the outer wall covered in artillery emplacements, including massive rail guns. The walls were manned by dozens of Sangvis Ferri units, as well as several captured armored units. The front of the facility was patrolled by several squads of Vespids shoulder to shoulder with Rippers, and towering above them the unmistakable outlines of the Manticore walking tank.

 _So… this is what we are up against. I'll admit, I am a tad disappointed._

"Androids, I see you have reached the summit. On the count of five you will charge the enemy fortress. I would be lying if I said I will miss you. You've proven to be a liability." Archibald's voice called out from the radio.

"5…"

"Chin up girls… let us make the end memorable."

"4…"

"One last race… ha I'll beat you again Welrod."

"3…"

"My swan song… time for one last encore!"

"2…"

"I'll miss you all."

"1…"

 _I'm sorry Eric… I hope you remember me… I hope you know how much I-_

"Mark"

Welrod and company took one step forward.

"Belay that order."

A new voice echoed over the microphone, the echelon froze in place. A familiar one.

 _Eric..._

Archibald, bewildered, issued another command.

"I said, Mark"

But the girls didn't move, didn't have the urge to move. Welrod closed her eyes and smiled, as a tear descended her cheek.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I'm afraid they won't be listening to you anymore." Eric Blair stated.

"Who do you think you are?! Do you know who I am?! I am Lord Commander Archibald III! I am commander of this Sector, and I will not have my orders overruled by-"

"You dare sully my honor! My name is Eric Blair, former and now current commander of Sector 78. I fear that you have been replaced my good man." Welrod could sense the glee in her commander's voice as he got to play the part he so enjoyed.

 _Thank you John…_

"On who's bloody orders?!"

"My orders, Archibald." Another voice cut through the conversation, a woman's.

"M-Miss H-Helian, it is my h-honor to s-speak with-"

"Commander Archibald, I am five minutes out. I expect your greeting on the helipad. Helian out." The woman's line cut to static.

"I… uh… I…" Archibald stammered, the man utterly flustered.

"My lord, you may want to acknowledge Miss Helian's order," Blair replied cheekily.

Archibald's line too cut to static.

"Girls, I know you can hear me. Return to base, take a hot shower, grab a good meal, and report to my office, we will discuss proceedings going forward." Eric Blair ordered, Welrod could see the man beaming through the radio.

"Acknowledged, Sir! Echelon 3, returning to base," Welrod replied, a second tear welling at the base of her eye, before slipping down the side of her face.

"It's a blessing to hear your voice once more Miss Welrod. Girls: welcome home. Commander Eric Blair out."

The final line cut to static as the girls all looked at one another. Without thinking, all four girls rushed one another and embraced, slowly sinking to the ground as they finally comprehended their situation. All the suffering, all the torment, it was all over. Echelon 3 had their commander back. Welrod, had her friend back.


	42. Chapter 42: Before the Dawn

Chapter 42: Before the Dawn

A beleaguered Echelon 3 stumbled back into Sector 78, still reeking of muck and dirt, however unlike a few days prior, this time their faces were gleaming with pride. A crowd of joyous T-Dolls was there to greet them with a round of applause, some, like Suomi, even attempting to run up and hug the victors, only to retreat quickly as the odor of the echelon overwhelmed them. Lee didn't care; the girl ran out of the crowd and nearly tackled the four of them to the ground, shuddering from her emotional cries of joy. The girls then rose to their feet and walked past the throng of T-Dolls and into the barracks, where they took a hot shower, redressed, and ate a hot meal as they were ordered.

"Oh my god… I never thought the taste of grade C meat would be so delicious," Grizzly said as she took a large bite out of her double decker bacon cheeseburger, ketchup and mustard caking the corners of her mouth.

"Miss Grizzly, would you like a tissue?" Welrod asked as she handed Grizzly a napkin, only for it to be batted away.

"Nah, thanks for offering though! You just don't get the full experience of finger food without some of it sticking to your face!" Grizzly exclaimed happily, while taking another bite out of her dinner.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Welrod replied with a smile.

"Oh, to have the hot ambrosia sliding down my throat once more! How I have missed this feeling," Lee-Enfield swooned, sipping her tea that Springfield has crafted with great care.

"Right?! This is how true soldiers eat!" Calico cried, throwing her fist into the air.

"Miss WA2000, are you enjoying yourself?" Welrod asked as she turned to the sniper Doll, her face blocked by the chocolate ice cream carton.

"Erm bursy…" WA2000 replied as she lowered the tin, revealing a face absolutely covered in melted chocolate. For the first time in what seemed like forever, WA2000 had a look of utter bliss on her face.

"Oi little missy! You betta clean yo' face off righ' now ya hear?" A gruff voice said from the doorway.

"James!" Calico exclaimed as the girls scrambled to their feet and nearly tackled the man into the hallway.

"G-girls! Y-you're… crushing… me!" James sputtered as the combined weight of five T-Dolls slowly squeezed the life out of him.

Giggling, Echelon 3 released their companion, who took a gasp of air.

"It's so good to see you alright, Sir," Welrod said with a glowing smile on her face.

"I'd hav' to agree with ya Miss Welrod. W-When I foun' out wha they w-were gon do to ya, I… I…" James shook his head aggressively, removing the horrible thought from his head.

"But now I see you girls are alright! Now all we need to do is wait for Helian to ream Archibald out and you girls get your lives back officially!"

"Wait… is Archibald getting torn a new one?" Grizzly asked eyes widening.

"I may have put my ear to the office door. Let's just say I heard a lot of yellin and a lot of quibbling," James smirked.

"Well what are we waiting for?! To the office!" Calico said triumphantly as the echelon ran for the dormitory door.

"Not you, missy! Not until you clean your face," James warned as he grabbed WA2000's arm.

"Hey! Grizzly didn't have to wash her face!" The girl pouted.

"Aye, but that's because unlike her, I believe we can still make a polite and proper young lass out of you," James commented cheekily.

"I heard that old man!" Grizzly called out from the hallway.

"Good!" James replied laughing while carefully wiping WA2000's reddening face with a napkin.

With everyone in proper working order, the entourage set off for Commander Blair's office, laughing and carrying on as they went. Welrod smiled as she looked upon an Echelon born anew, and all it took was the reintroduction of a Commander they didn't realize they were blessed to have. James saddled up beside her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"They may not realize it, but you were the one to set this whole thing in motion. I'm proud of you Miss Welrod… and if she were here…" James looked at Calico, "...Cally would be proud of you too."

"I'm honored Sir. Cally would be proud to see that the man she loved had the courage to stand up for what he believed in," Welrod replied with a sweet smile.

James returned the gesture, tears forming at the bottom of his eyes, before he shook his head again and sharply exhaled.

"Right then, let's see how much of a clobbering our dear friend Archibald is receiving."

The echelon was fast approaching their destination even from down the hall they could hear the muffled cries of despair from inside the office. James took the lead and rang the buzzer on the security door.

"Reason of business?" A voice muttered over the intercom.

"Echelon 3 reporting as ordered," James replied.

 _Welcome to the family James._

With a sharp buzz the door opened revealing a woman with her back turned to the door, a man on both knees as if pleading for his life, and another man with his back leaning against the wall looking on in amusement. The echelon filed into the now cramped room, and watched as Miss Helian deconstructed Lord Archibald's very being.

"We've received files detailing your purchases over the past few weeks: three crates of deviled eggs, two and a half tons of caviar, a dozen embroidered silk futons…"

"M-M-M-Miss H-Helian I…" Archibald attempted to reply.

"...half a dozen hand carved dressers, three luxury vehicles… and a yacht. Archibald, what was the necessity for these items," Helian finished without emotion.

"T-T-They were beneficial to the war effort ma'am, we just n-needed to…"

"I don't recall a 200 foot yacht being used as a weapon of war. Next subject: your combat records. All forgeries, colorful forgeries I might add, I may have given your attendant a commendation for his creative writing if it weren't for the fact what he did was against the law. One hundred percent efficiency and zero casualties. Does the one hundred percent efficiency include the disregard for etching technology? Or as with most other protocols, did you ignore that?" Helian stated bluntly.

"B-b-but the Lee-Enfield i-is…" Archibald attempted to reply but was immediately cut off.

"Grow a backbone you groveling field mouse," Eric growled from the corner.

"Then we come to your most recent offense: the erasure of T-Doll memory backups and the desire of termination. I shouldn't have to remind you how expensive these T-Dolls are. You were willing to throw away hundreds of millions of pounds worth of G&K assets because you felt as though your "honor" was hurt. If this is what goes for honor these days I am quite pleased to see chivalry dead and buried. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Helian concluded, finally turning to look down on the cowering commander.

Archibald stopped quivering… as he slowly rose to his feet, and turned to Echelon 3, a look of pure hatred plastered across his face.

"This isn't right… you… all of you are beneath me! The king himself made me a lord! What do you have that makes you special? Nothing! You're just pawns made to serve a greater purpose, to die in service to mankind!" The man ranted.

"And you!" Archibald turned to Eric. "You of all people get a second chance, you are an absolute disgrace of a commander! You waste resources on attending to the desires of a computer program, they aren't even human!"

Eric stared Archibald in the eye, and replied, his voice filled with distain: "They're more human and noble than you can ever hope to be."

"I will NOT have my honor questioned by a man who pretends to be a lord!"

"I am not questioning your honor Lord Archibald, I'm denying its existence." Eric replied with a smirk.

Archibald's fists balled up, but he didn't strike a blow.

"Honor… if you were about honor you would duel me for this position. You would…"

"I accept."

The entire room looked at Eric who had his arms behind his back.

"What… what did you say?" Archibald replied, also completely shocked at what he was hearing.

"I said I accept, I accept your challenge Lord Archibald. We shall proceed to the courtyard, and like gentlemen, decide the fate of Sector 78. Miss Helian, is this approved?"

"I… I approve," Helian replied, slightly taken aback.

 _What are you doing you absolute arsehole! Now is NOT the time for heroics!_

"Splendid. Lord Archibald, we each shall be given a dueling pistol we will load ourselves. We shall stand back to back and take 20 paces. Upon reaching said 20 paces we will remain motionless until a handkerchief is dropped, whereupon we will turn and… discover our fate."

"Good. I will not have what is owed to me taken so easily. Make peace with your tinker toys Blair, for this will be the last time you ever see them." Archibald stormed out the door and down the hall towards range courtyard, while Welrod looked at her commander in despair and confusion.

"Sir?! What are you doing!?"

"Miss Welrod, this needs to be done. I trust you will have faith in me," Eric replied as he walked out the door in pursuit of Archibald.

"What the fuck just happened?" Grizzly wondered aloud.

"That idiot is going to sign our death warrants!" WA2000 groaned.

The echelon chased after the two men, exiting the compound and finding themselves amongst a throng of humans and T-Dolls, all gathered to observe this duel of fate. Both men were carefully loading their flintlock pistols, Archibald struggling to locate the place to store the powder while Blair had already loaded the pistol as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"Do you need a hand Mr. Archibald?" Eric called out.

"LORD Archibald. I don't need any help from an imbecile like you!" The man growled as he poured a large amount of powder into the pistol.

 _Eric please, don't do this. We just got you back, don't throw us to the hounds again!_

After a short while, the men approached one another and stood back to back. Eric looked to Miss Helian, who was to be the person to drop the handkerchief.

"On my order, you will March twenty paces, whereupon your fate will be decided. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Helian," Archibald and Blair thundered.

"Mark!"

The two men took a step then another.

Three…

Four…

 _No this isn't happening…_

Five…

Six…

Seven…

 _Someone do something! Stop this madness!_

Eight…

Nine…

On the tenth step, Lord Archibald turned around and aimed the flintlock pistol at Eric Blair's back. Welrod, in horror reached out a hand towards her commander.

"Eric!"

 _Bang_


	43. Chapter 43: All Things Must End

**Chapter 43: All Things Must End**

Screams of anguish filled the air of the courtyard, echoing from a body tossing and turning upon the weathered dirt. The remaining onlookers stood in complete silence. Eric Blair calmly turned around to see his opponent clutching the mangled remains of his right hand, now just tattered sinew and bone. The victorious commander slowly approached his dishonorable foe, his usual confident smile replaced by complete disdain and anger. Upon seeing his oncoming fate, Lord Archibald tried to retreat across the field on his stomach, all the while trying to appeal to Eric's good nature.

"P-p-please Sir! M-Mercy I beg of you!" Archibald sputtered as he dragged himself along with his good hand.

"Was it mercy...? Lord Archibald… sending those girls to die?" Eric said calmly, his words filled with venom.

"I-I w-was j-just doing what a c-commander s-should! Please Sir, I have too much to live f-for! I-it's dishonorable to execute a defeated opponent!" Archibald replied weakly.

"You speak of honor as if you have any… at least now you will not sully the title of commander," Eric replied, continuing to advance on his rival, the grip on his pistol tightening.

"Y-you're right… that was dishonorable, but please Sir! P-please don't kill me!" Archibald had now turned to face his death, tears streaming down his face and collecting in his now frazzled moustache.

"You are a footnote of your family lineage, a knot in the bark of your family tree, I spit on your "honor," Eric murmured as he raised his pistol.

"WAIT!" Archibald exclaimed as he extended the bleeding stop towards his opponent.

"This is where we part ways, Lord Archibald... make peace with your fate."

 _Crack_

The sound of a pistol shot rang out through the valley, ricocheting off the mountains that surrounded Sector 78. Eric Blair lowered his arm, smoke still fuming from his pistol. Lord Archibald opened his eyes, his face covered in dirt, his left ear ringing.

"You don't even deserve the honor of a quick death," Eric spat as he tossed the pistol aside, "you will be forced to live on, knowing how much of a rat you truly are."

The man then turned around and slowly started walking back to his office. Halfway across the courtyard, Eric stopped and turned around, and for the first time, Welrod was absolutely terrified of the face of the man she looked up to.

"If you ever so much as look at this base again, a dishonorable death will be a mercy."

Eric then turned to Welrod, his features softening.

"Miss Welrod, James, report to my office immediately. We have important business to discuss." With that last comment, Commander Eric Blair had finally returned to Sector 78. The crowd of onlookers dispersed, leaving the cowering Lord Archibald to be tended to by his assistant Clarence. Welrod hurried after her commander, closely followed by James.

The three companions quietly walked back into the facility and down the hall towards the office. Welrod looked up at her commander, whose face was emotionless, but clearly deep in thought. She then looked to James who gave her a nod, before staring blankly ahead. Eric opened the door letting his companions inside before entering himself, shutting, and locking it from the inside. The man then strode passed the two and sat down in his chair behind his desk, his face hidden behind his hands.

Silence enraptured the room, as a minute passed, then a second. Finally, Commander Blair removed his hands from his face, revealing a peaceful smile.

"I do apologize for my words and attitude but a few moments ago, men like that tend to upset me a great deal," Blair said calmly, "but now that this matter is dealt with, we can move on to more pressing matters. Firstly however…" Eric paused as he turned his gaze to Welrod, and then to James.

"I cannot bring to words how proud I am of the both of you, especially you, Miss Welrod. You made a promise to me you would act as your echelon's shield, and I dare say you accomplished that task."

"T-thank you S-Sir, I was just doing my duty." Welrod replied shakily, still shocked at how quickly the conversation's tone had shifted.

"Aye lass, you were doin your duty, but that duty required a lo' of courage. You should be proud of your achievements," James replied before looking at Eric, "it's a pleasure to see you, Sir."

"Indeed, it's a pleasure to see you again... old friend," Eric replied kindly.

 _What!?_

"You… you two know each other?!" Welrod exclaimed, her face twisted in shock.

"Yes we do, James and I served together in a small PMC. James, do you still have that photograph we took in Warsaw?"

"Aye, take a closer look lassy," James chuckled as he handed Welrod the photograph of the squad on the armored vehicle. She looked closer, and realized the man with the accordion was indeed a younger, more fit, and less trimmed Eric Blair.

"B-but what of that story you told me, of being a secret service agent, of the hotel…" Welrod sputtered, her head spinning.

"All still true. Remember: I never did tell you what I did in the year or so between my last employment and my current, so it's true… from a certain point of view," Eric replied cheekily.

"I… I need to sit down," Welrod replied dryly.

"It would seem so, you look quite pale Miss Welrod. Before you do, I would prefer if you stand still for a moment. James, if you could?"

"Aye Sir, alrigh' now lass, I'm goin to do some tinkerin at the back of your neck. If you feel anything moving that's normal. Now hol' still, I'll be done in a moment."

Welrod felt James's wrinkles hands pressing down on the back of her neck, followed by a tingling sensation as something slid opened at the base of her neck. Suddenly, the girl felt something be inserted into the opened slot, as data rushed across her display, numbers, equations, strategy. Suddenly, everything stopped, as the slot closed itself. The girl rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her smooth skin as if nothing had happened.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Welrod exclaimed.

"Firstly: language my dear, I would have thought a proper lady such as yourself would have restraint from using such vulgar verbiage. Secondly, what James so kindly installed is a prototype piece of technology being developed by IOP. This chip allows you to command other girls without my supervision, to make your own decisions. For example: Miss Welrod, hit me!"

"W-why would I do that Sir?" Welrod asked.

"Precisely!" Eric laughed, as he looked upon Welrod who was terribly confused and in shock.

"I… I really need to sit down," Welrod mumbled.

"Agreed, I do believe I'm throwing a lot at you, James, if you could help Miss Welrod to a chair, she looks like she could use some assistance."

James extended his hand and led Welrod to one of the two lounge chairs. The girl sat down and sank into the cushions, completely dumbfounded. James chuckled as he took a seat in the chair opposite.

"Alright, now that unofficial business has been accounted for, let us discuss things going forward. To start with: James, I assume you are quite out of a job, correct?" Eric asked his friend.

"After helping these girls perform mutiny? Aye, I'd say I won' be kept by Archibald's crew."

Thinking for a moment, Eric responded with, "I would like to hire you as our lead T-Doll technician. Is your schedule open?"

It was James's turn to be shocked as his eyes widened. Welrod did her best to hide the cheeky grin growing on her face.

"I… I'm honored Eric. I promise I'll-"

"Now hold on a moment, I need the confirmation of my adjutant before I can do that. Miss Welrod, do you agree with my decision?"

The cheeky grin vanished as she stared at Eric, who had an amused expression on his face, as now he was staring at two horribly confused individuals.

"B-but Sir, what about Kalina? Isn't she-"

"Miss Kalina has been reassigned to G&K headquarters in Eastern Europe. She will be leaving with Miss Helian this afternoon. I needed someone with field experience to be my right hand. I hope I didn't force something upon you you didn't-"

"No Sir, I'll happily assist you in business matters." Welrod replied immediately.

"I had hoped you would. Now, as your first action as my new adjutant: should we hire James?" Eric asked as he looked back to the older gentleman who could be seen slightly shaking.

Welrod thought carefully for a moment, mulling over the right words to say, before finally replying.

"James was part of the reason I sit before you today Sir. Without his courage, Echelon 3 may not exist as it is now. Besides that, the man is incredibly knowledgeable of T-Doll mechanics, personalities, and feelings. He is also, a very honorable and kind gentleman. It would… be very wise to hire him on as new technician." Welrod concluded, looking upon James with a smile.

"It seems we are in agreement then. James, welcome to G&K Scotland. I expect great things from you. You are to report to your new station immediately, Echelon 5 requires your assistance.

Tears brimming the edges of his eyes, James rose from his seat and gave a quick salute.

"I'll never let you down Sir! Nor you Miss Welrod!" With that, the man exited the office and ran down the hallway towards the repair labs.

"And then there were two…" Eric smiled as he shook his head. "As for you Miss Welrod, I expect a full report of the previous day's results on my desk every morning promptly at 9:00 am. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir." With a nod Welrod turned to leave.

"Actually, Miss Welrod, I just remembered something: what ever happened to your jacket?"

"Oh… Commander Archibald had it burned along with most of our other belongings," Welrod replied sadly, the memories of that horrible day rushing back to her.

"I… I am sorry to hear that. Surely the chess set survived correct?"

Welrod's heart sank. She hadn't even thought of the chess set, where it was or what had happened to it. The girl turned away from her commander, trying to hide the growing sadness that was encompassing her face.

"I… I don't know Sir. Last time I recall it was here in the office… but Archibald p-probably b-burned it t-too." Welrod replied weakly as she started to get emotional.

"Miss Welrod…" Eric answered calmly. The soft clunk of wood being set down against wood was heard shortly thereafter. Welrod looked back to see the chess set she had kept for all these years safe in the arms of her commander.

"Before I left, I thought it necessary to take a few things with me. You forgot your chess set from that time we played a few nights before, and I felt it would be a shame to part with such a beautiful piece of art. Thus I took it on as essential evidence, I hope you can understand."

Welrod shut her eyes once again, as a tear descended her cheek. Her hands tightened into fists as she stood there stiffly. Eric, concerned, got up from his chair and tried to lighten the mood.

"So, Miss Welrod, are you going to scold me for stealing or-"The man never got a chance to finish, as Welrod had lunged at the man, wrapped her arms around his chest and firmly planted her lips upon his. In shock, Blair stumbled backward, catching himself on the desk. It was but a brief moment before Welrod realized what she was doing and pulled back in complete shock.

 _What the bloody hell are you doing you daft fool!?_

The two stood in awkward silence, staring at one another, the only sounds being the ticking clock in the corner of the room, both of their faces reaching a deep red hue.

 _Sir, please say something, anything!_

"I… erm… L-like I said… t-the chess set is safe, you c-can take it with you now." Eric replied, absolutely flabbergasted.

"Yessirilldothatrightawaythankyou." Welrod replied as she collected her chess set and hurried towards the door.

"Miss Welrod," her commander called out one last time.

The girl stopped, and looked back, "Yes, Sir?"

"W-would you like to play chess again tomorrow night?"

Welrod smiled and nodded, before rushing out the door before her core could overheat.


	44. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

"You did what?!" Lee-Enfield squeaked, her voice reaching an octave yet to be recorded by mankind.

An hour or so had passed since Welrod had engaged in a lightning strike against Eric Blair, and the poor girl still hadn't gotten over her bold move. She had her head buried in her hands, while the rest of her echelon were taking care not to let this opportunity to poke fun at their leader pass them by.

"Hehe… nice," Grizzly replied cheekily as she shot finger guns towards Welrod.

"Never thought you had it in you your majesty that was bold! I would have gone for extra bases, but a dinger is still a dinger in my book," Calico called out from the corner of the room, trying to stifle a laughing fit.

"It… it all happened so fast… he… what he did was so sweet… and I was so happy to see him again… I just… oh, he's probably terribly angry… uuuuuhuu" Welrod let out with a muffled groan.

Grizzly laughed and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, don't fret boss, I mean from what you told us he didn't seem upset, just surprised is all. Hey, if you keep this up maybe we can use this to our advantage!"

"You are not seriously going to use this as a means to blackmail the commander are you," Lee asked sternly, her eyes shooting daggers in Grizzly's direction.

"No way! All I'm saying is maybe… maybe we can get a few favors you know? Like, hey Commander, Welrod asked if we could have some extra rations. Hey Commander, Welrod asked if we could get a little more pay this week. Hell, if boss keeps this up, by the time she reaches third base…"

Welrod's answer was another, more distraught groan.

"Grizzly that's enough." Lee Enfield leaned closer to Welrod before whispering, "What was it like?"

"What?!" Welrod cried, snapped out of her despair.

"Fufufu, I'm sorry Miss Welrod, but I needed to snap you out of your daze, and that was the only thing I could think of," Lee-Enfield replied cheekily.

"You should have seen the look on your face jelly welly! I've never seen someone's face go from red to white to red so fast!" Calico, who had given up holding in her laughter, was absolutely cackling at her poor leader's expense.

"I told you, it all happened so fast! It's not like I actually… felt…"

"Oh dear, she's beginning to overheat. Ladies I think the time for teasing has passed, let Welrod be," Lee said concerned.

"Fine, fine…"

As the echelon was finally beginning to settle down, a knock at the door reignited the excitement.

"Hmm, wonder who that is?"

"Blair wanting round two? Pucker up, your majesty!"

"Bugger off!"

Lee-Enfield opened the door revealing an M1A1 wielding doll with a clipboard and a plethora of packages.

"Supplies courtesy of Commander Blair for Echelon 3, sign here please."

"Wow Grizzly you were right, Welrod making her move is already giving us goodies!" Calico chirped.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Lee-Enfield signed off on the clipboard and took the packages from the girl's outstretched hands. With a quick nod, she thanked her and shut the door, leaving Echelon 3 alone to see what Commander Blair had given them.

"Alright, let's see what lover boy sent us…" Grizzly murmured excitedly, "Holy shit, no way! Dear Grizzly, I heard about your flat tire, so I ordered you a new motor-" Grizzly's eyes widened as she turned and bolted for the door, making tracks for the motor pool.

"What did you get WA-Chan?" Lee asked as she proudly clutched her artistry guidebook to her chest.

"One year's supply of chocolate ice cream… is that idiot trying to make me fat?" WA2000 replied, but the expression on her face revealed her true feelings.

"Sweet! Concert tickets and music library playlist! What about you your majesty?"

Welrod looked down at the small package, wrapped neatly in blue paper. She untied the bow and ripped open the box. Inside, nestled in red fabric, was a note accompanying a diamond chess piece, a Knight. The girl held the piece tenderly in her left hand, while reading the note to herself in her right:

 _Wells,_

 _By the time you receive this, you have done what many could not. Through your actions you have saved not only yourself, but the lives of your team and those serving Sector 78. You have grown from the shy girl I met those many months ago to a defender of honor and duty, a true knight. Keep this, as a reminder of who you are. This base owes you a great debt, as do I. Keep calm, and carry on!_

 _Your Friend,_

 _Eric Blair_

Welrod, smiling, silently put down the note and once more glanced at the knight, reflecting the light of the room.

 _We've still got a lot of work to do Sir, but together, we will accomplish great things…_

Welrod looked around at her echelon, once again in high spirits.

 _Great things…_

 **Author's Note:**

And so ends Chess Pieces: A Welrod Story. When I began this project in June I never expected it to get this far, yet here we stand, 43 chapters and an epilogue. While this may be the end for this chapter of Welrod and Blair's Journey, this is not the end of Chess Pieces. Over the next several months, there will be two new projects started starring the dynamic duo. The first, Pursuing the Black King, will take place two years after the end of Chess Pieces. What of the time skip you may ask? Well, the second project will cover this time gap in The Courtship of Lady Welrod, a series of shorts dictating the growing relationship between Eric Blair and Welrod, as well as the tying up of loose ends in Scotland. With that in mind, I thank all those who have stuck with the story thus far, and I look forward to continuing this journey with you again soon.

-Usedcarjockey


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